


You Were Meant For Me (and I was meant for you)

by alliecat23784



Series: Broken [5]
Category: One Direction
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, Family, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Kid Fic, Love, M/M, Narry still very much enjoy sex after twenty-four years together, New Baby, Smut, established relationships - Freeform, it's cute, new relationships, parents Harry and Niall, really they never stop, the usual stuff that comes with smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2018-08-19 10:03:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 336,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8201050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alliecat23784/pseuds/alliecat23784
Summary: A spin off to "The Broken Series" Harry and Niall's son Finnegan is on the verge of turning nineteen, he's playing football in the premier league and following in his brother Rory's footsteps, he falls in love for the first time and something happens that turns his life upside down. Oh yeah- and Harry and Niall are having another baby.Life is never quiet in the Styles/Horan household.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi All!
> 
> Here is Finn's story! A lot of people were interested in reading it so I decided to keep the Broken Series alive and kicking. 
> 
> Harry and Niall will be in the story but not as prominent as they were in the other parts of the series. They will be there, though, because they play an important part in their children's lives and they'll certainly be front and centre during Finn's drama. 
> 
> Another important relationship is the one between Finn and Rory. That will be a big part of the story and I hope you enjoy the bond the two brothers have.
> 
> So I guess I just wanted to let everyone know that if you don't like stories where it's not completely about Harry and Niall then you probably shouldn't read this story.
> 
> This will be a WIP but I've already written ahead so I'll be able to update once a week or even more, depending on my work schedule. So don't worry, you won't have to wait months for a chapter.
> 
> There will be more notes in each individual chapter so I'll say goodbye for now and let you get on with the story. I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> The title of this fic comes from the lovely song by Jewel. I hadn't heard it for years and then there it was and I knew it fit.

 

 

**October 2042**

 

 

  
"Finn? You awake?"

Finn pressed pause on the documentary he was watching on his I-pad and rolled over on his bed so he was facing the door to his bedroom "Yeah, Pop. Come in."

The door opened and his Pop walked in with a smile on his face, his dimples deepening in his cheeks. Finn smiled back at him, a memory from when he was a kid flashing through his mind. A memory of him sitting on his Pop's lap and sticking his finger in his dimples, making him smile even wider and sending Finn into a fit of giggles.

"Hey, Pop," He said softly "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," His Pop shrugged "Just wanted to see you I guess. Can I sit?" He asked, motioning toward the bed.

"'Course," Finn moved over onto the middle of his bed to make room for his Pop.

"Sometimes I would stay with you until you fell asleep. You'd snuggle under the duvet and I'd stay on top, cuddling you until I heard your even breathing. Do you remember that?" His Pop asked him with a half smile on his face and a wistful look in his eyes.

"I do," Finn answered quietly, studying his Pop's face from underneath his eyelashes "You always smelled like your cologne and whatever you were baking on any given day. I remember...I remember thinking if I smelled that smell it meant you were nearby and I was safe."

"Really?" His Pop stared down at him with wide eyes that were filling with tears. Oh God.

"Don't cry, Pop. Please. I didn't mean to upset you," Finn looked at his Pop worriedly, wondering what the hell was going on.

"You didn't upset me. Silly boy. You made me happy. I never knew that before. That I made you feel safe. That's really sweet. Thank you for telling me that," His Pop put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.

"It's alright," Finn said carefully "Now do you want to tell me why you seem sad tonight?"

"I'm not sad. Not really. It's just-you're my baby and you're all grown up. Eighteen years old, finished school with honours and now you've got two successful months in The Premier League under your belt. I'm so proud of you, Finn. Your Dad and I both. Sometimes I still can't help but wish you were our little boy again, though. Our quiet, kind hearted little boy with the bright blue eyes that had everyone wrapped around his finger." His Pop smiled at him.

Finn swallowed a few times, staring down at the duvet while he gathered his thoughts. His whole family was like this, sharing things and talking about their feelings freely. He had never been like that, though. He felt so uncomfortable and he'd blush profusely when anyone complimented him or tried to talk about their feelings with him. He was getting better at it. Ever since he had that completely embarrassing talk with his parents about losing his virginity and how it was with a guy. He knew his parents only wanted to help him and he found he really wanted their advice on some things so he tried to be more open, taking baby steps and eventually getting more comfortable.

"I reckon-" Finn stopped to clear his throat "I reckon I'll always be your little boy though, won't I? Like, no matter how old I am, you're still my parents and I'll always need you. Like Rory. He's thirty-six with a wife and three kids and he still comes to you for advice."

"Yeah," His Pop whispered, his lip trembling slightly as he tried to hold back his tears. Finn watched as he took a deep, calming breath then he laughed at himself a bit before seemingly shaking himself out of it. "Anyway. I just wanted to check in with you. You've been so busy now that you've got a full time job and when you are home, your brothers and sisters are around so your Dad and I haven't really been able to talk to you alone."

"I know. I'm sorry, Pop. I-"

"No, no, no, don't be sorry. I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty. You're eighteen, you've just started your football career, plus you have friends and a life to keep up with. You don't even have to be living at home anymore. You're making enough money to get yourself a flat. I'm really glad you didn't though. I like having you here. I like cooking for you and taking care of you. If it were up to me I'd have all my kids here. We'd move Rory, Anna and the kids into the basement." His Pop laughed.

"I like living here. I don't want to live on my own yet. I want to be around to see Charlie and Matty everyday," Finn grinned at his Pop.

"Not your sisters?" His Pop teased.

Finn shrugged, a tiny half smile on his face "Nori and Kate are cool but Charlie and Matty, I mean... need I say more?"

"Nope. Definitely not," His Pop shook his head, laughing "Those boys are in a league of their own."

Finn didn't say anything more, just chuckled softly and moved around a bit, adjusting the pillow under his head. When he looked back up, his Pop was studying him with a serious look on his face.

"What?" Finn stared back at his Pop, confused by his sudden seriousness.

"Finn," His Pop started and Finn knew he was in for a long, serious talk "I just want to make sure everything is going okay? That you're not overwhelmed. You're an adult now but eighteen is still young and you're one of the youngest men to ever play in The Premier League. Even younger than your brother was. That's a lot to take in. It's a lot of pressure and your Dad and I want to make sure you're looking after yourself and make sure you know you can talk to us about anything, no matter what time of the day. Call and we'll be there."

"I know," Finn spoke softly, barely above a whisper "I'm okay, though. I don't feel overwhelmed. I'm really happy. I love playing footie."

"That's good. I'm so glad for you. Can you promise me you'll tell us if that changes? Talk it through with us. Don't let it fester. Or talk to Rory since he'd have a better understanding of how it feels to be so young and have so much pressure on you."

"I will, Pop. I promise. Please don't worry about me. You have the girls and the twins to worry about," Finn said.

"When you have kids someday, Finn, you'll realize that parents never stop worrying, no matter how old their kids get," His Pop chuckled before he paused, seeming unsure of what he wanted to say next.

"Pop?" Finn pushed himself up so he was sitting with his back to the headboard. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on his knees, gazing at his Pop with slightly narrowed eyes "I get the sense there's more you want to say."

"There is but you won't like it," His Pop sighed "It's about Brian."

Finn stared down at the duvet covering his feet and legs, a frown on his face. Why did his Pop want to talk about Brian? After he lost his virginity to the guy, they remained friends with benefits for awhile. Finn liked him and he liked Finn but after going out on a few dates they realized they weren't really right for each other. The spark was there physically, they had some pretty great sex, but they were better off as just friends. They came to that conclusion together and neither one of them was really upset about it. They were still great friends today, just without the benefits now, so why was his Pop bringing it up again?

"I know it's hard for you to talk about such personal things," His Pop said, his warm hand coming to rest on top of Finn's own hands "I just- I know there's still some homophobia in football. A lot, actually. Players have come out but they weren't treated very well and I guess I'm just afraid that you might let that affect you."

"Affect me how?" Finn asked, briefly lifting his head to look at his Pop.

"I just don't want you to shy away from relationships with men because of football. Who knows? The love of your life could be a woman or a man and I don't want you to potentially miss your chance at being happy because of some homophobic people," His Pop says slowly, carefully, like he's trying hard to make sure he says the exact right words.

"Pop," Finn licked his lips and swallowed a few times, trying to find the right words to say to his Pop. "I can't- I can't think about this right now. I'm not looking for someone to fall in love with, someone to marry. I'm eighteen. I don't- I don't know what you want me to say?"

"Hey. Finn. It's okay. I'm not trying to force something on you. That came out wrong. All I want is for you to keep an open mind. If you meet a guy you really like, don't toss that aside just because coming out is frowned upon in football. I just want you to be happy. That's all."

"I know," Finn nodded slowly "I'll try to keep an open mind. I'm not really interested in having a boyfriend or a girlfriend right now."

"What happened to that girl you were dating a couple months ago? Kristen. She seemed nice enough," His Pop asked curiously.

"Sure. At first. Then I figured out her true colours. I don't like people trying to control me. She loves to party and I don't. She got tired of going to parties alone, said it was embarrassing. So she threatened me and said she'd break up with me if I didn't go with her to a party. I said see ya later. I don't think she expected me to call her bluff," Finn said with a small smirk on his face.

"Oh my God!" His Pop barked out a laugh "I can't believe I missed that! Good for you, Finn. Don't ever let someone try to control you that way. It's not healthy. Someone who truly cares about you would never give you ultimatums."

"So no ultimatums for Dad then?" Finn asked with a huge grin on his face.

"Sure, but not serious ones. He hid all my electronic devices one time because I was obsessed with a show on Netflix. I told him if he didn't give them back I'd- well, I don't think you want to know what I threatened," His Pop said, a goofy grin on his face.

"Gross! Why?? Don't- nobody wants to hear about their parents sex lives! Parents should cease all sexual activities after the age of forty!" Finn groaned, burying his head in his hands.

His Pop laughed a loud, incredulous laugh, quickly slapping his hand over his mouth so as not to wake the twins across the hall or Nori and Kate down the hall "Oh my God! If that's what you think then I strongly advise you to never enter into our bedroom ever again. Sexual stuff happens in there allllll the time."

"Oh for fucks sake! Gross! I swear to God you and Dad live to torture your children," Finn practically screamed while his Pop rolled around on the bed laughing.

"You make it so easy!" His Pop said in between bouts of laughter "You look like such a grumpy cat right now. You're so cute."

"I am not cute," Finn huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What's going on?" Finn turned his head toward his doorway at the sound of his Dad's voice and laughed when he caught sight of him. He was standing in the doorway rubbing his eyes with his fists, his hair was stuck up in several different directions and his t-shirt was twisted on his body, the Nike symbol near his armpit instead of on his chest where it was supposed to be.

"Look at you!" His Pop cooed at his Dad, standing up from the bed and walking over to wrap his arms around him "You're all sleepy and cute.

Finn sat back and watched his parents with a fond look on his face. His Pop was brushing his thumb over his Dad's cheek and whispering something Finn couldn't hear. A slow smile spread across his Dad's face and then his Pop leaned in for a kiss, pulling him closer. They were so in love, even after twenty-four years together. He could only hope he would have something similar with someone someday. He didn't show it really, hasn't had a reason to yet, but he was definitely a romantic. He couldn't wait for the day he found someone to fall in love with. He wanted to do all the sappy stuff like hold hands while out shopping, hold each other while watching a film, send sappy texts twenty-four hours a day. He wanted it all. He knew it wouldn't come easy for him. He didn't open up easily. He'd really have to love and trust someone to give them all of him. He hoped it would happen someday. He felt ready for it now. He didn't care that he was only eighteen. He wasn't expecting it to happen now and he wasn't looking for it, but if love found him, he was ready for it.

  
~~~

  
**November 2042**

 

  
Harry had been a coach on the American version of "The Voice" three years ago. The show had been off the air for years but NBC revamped it for a new generation and when they offered the job to Harry, he wanted to do it just once. He wanted to mentor a group of people from start to finish and do his damn best to get them on the right track to have a career in music.

Niall told him to go for it because he's the best most supportive husband in the world and he wanted Harry to be happy and have everything he wanted. He'd just have to be away for a few days for the blind auditions, then he'd be back home all Summer until it was time to go back to LA for the live shows in the Fall. They could make it work. Niall would take vacation in the fall so he and the kids could come over for a bit. The older kids would have to miss school but this was something that happened when Harry was still touring so they were used to having a tutor sometimes. They agreed they wanted their kids in a school with structure and friends for the most part but decided it would be okay to have a tutor for a few weeks so they could keep up with their school work and still be with their parents. It worked for them and the kids didn't mind it, didn't suffer at all for it, still remained close with all their friends and kept up with their classmates in their school work. It was good.

So Harry agreed to do one season in the fall and was completely elated when he found out the other three coaches for that season would be Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik. They were all friends of Harry's, Ed being his best mate along with Louis and Nick, and he knew they'd easily have a competitive yet playful banter going on.

It turned out to be an amazing experience, especially since one of Harry's team members won. His name was Ozzy Peters and he was very misunderstood. He was nineteen years old at the time of the show, he was a single father ,he had tons of tattoos, a lip and eyebrow piercing and sometimes would wear black eyeliner around his eyes. He looked like a punk and because of that, people assumed he was a criminal, a hard case, someone not worth their time. He certainly couldn't be a good father. They couldn't have been more wrong.

Ozzy was the sweetest person Harry had ever met. He had a beautiful smile and a laugh that filled a room just like Niall's, he was intelligent and soft spoken, his eyes were kind and often told a story, like when he was singing a really emotional song you could see the emotion, the pain, clear as day in his eyes. You could also see the joy when he was really happy and the love when he talked about his one year old son, Jacob.

When he came out for his blind audition, all four judges were blown away by his acoustic version of "Don't Cry" by Guns N Roses and they all pressed their button to turn their chair around before he was even done the first verse.

By the end of the song, the audience and the judges were all on their feet and when Harry was up first to give his comments, he had to take a minute to compose himself, trying to find the perfect words to tell Ozzy how spectacular he was.

Afterwards, Harry couldn't even remember what he said but Ozzy picked him to be his coach and over the next weeks, Harry and Ozzy formed a special bond that they still had three years later. When the competition was over and Ozzy was crowned the winner, he immediately asked Harry to work on his album with him and of course Harry said yes.

Now, after a hugely successful debut album and world tour, Ozzy was beginning work on his second album and coming to London to work with Harry again.

"I'm so excited for you to finally meet him, Niall," Harry gushed on the morning Ozzy was due to arrive in London "I can't believe three years have gone by and you haven't met him yet.."

"To be fair, I have talked to him a bit when you were on Skype." Niall laughed and slid a hand behind Harry's neck to pull him in for a kiss "But it's so cute how excited you are."

Harry blushed a little, unable to keep the silly grin off his face "I can't help it. He's important to me. He's like another son and I haven't seen him in months."

"Is he coming over here later? For dinner? Or will he stay at the hotel and sleep off his jet lag?" Niall asked, stepping away from Harry to grab his travel mug of coffee to drink on his way to work.

"He said he'd come for dinner. He might even bring Jacob with him. I want all of you to meet him. The twins are going to love him. He loves kids, can play with them all day. Jacob is only two years younger than Charlie and Matty so they'll probably hit it off too. Is that okay? That they come for dinner?" Harry asked nervously, afraid he overstepped.

"Of course it is. I can't wait to meet them. I gotta get to work now, though. I'll see you later, yeah? I love you. You look gorgeous this morning, by the way. I swear your arse gets better the older you get and it looks fucking sinful in those jeans," Niall said in a low voice, leaning in close to Harry's ear.

Harry grabbed Niall's hip with a large hand, slipping his fingers under the jacket of Niall's suit "You gonna fuck me later tonight then?"

Niall growled and stepped in even closer, rubbing his nose along Harry's jaw "All the kids will be in school and Finn will be at practice later. Why don't you call me when that happens and I'll lock myself in the bathroom in my office hmm? Maybe you could fuck yourself for me on Skype? Would you like that?"

"Fuck," Harry whispered "Yes. Fuck yes. You better go now before I rip your clothes off right here. I need to cool off so I can drive our kids to school."

Niall laughed and kissed Harry again, teasing his tongue along Harry's bottom lip then steps back to leave him wanting more "I'll be waiting for your call. Love you."

"I love you, too, baby. Have a good day."

 

~~~

 

When Finn walked into the house at just after two in the afternoon, he was met with the sound of loud laughter. He immediately recognized his Pop but the other laugh...he definitely didn't recognize.

After hanging his jacket up and putting his boots neatly inside the closet, he slowly walked further into the house, following the loud laughter to the kitchen. He stood just outside the doorway for a minute, watching as his Pop laughed and joked around with Ozzy Peters, winner of "The Voice" three years ago. Finn recognized him right away, mainly from his Pop talking about him and showing them all videos of Ozzy's performances on "The Voice". It was probably a bit Ironic but he wasn't a huge music fan, was always more into sports and literature so he's not really familiar with Ozzy's songs but he definitely recognized him.

Finn takes a moment to study him now, before he makes his presence known. He somehow looked different up close and personal than he did on the telly. His dark hair was free of any product and looked soft and fluffy sitting across his forehead in a windswept look. It was almost like he'd sat in front of one of those huge fans they use for modelling and had his hair blown around for awhile until it finally sat messily on his head. His eyes were completely clear of any of the eyeliner Finn remembered him wearing in some of the videos he'd seen, he had two barbells going through one eyebrow and a spider bite in his bottom lip. He also had a piercing above his top lip, off center on the left side. He's seen people with moles in the same place and he has to admit, it looked hot on this guy.

Finn couldn't see his whole outfit because he was sitting at the breakfast bar but he could tell he was wearing black jeans, the socks on his feet bright and different colours like a rainbow. His grey t-shirt fit perfectly across his chest and shoulders and Finn could easily tell the guy kept himself in shape.

What really caught Finn's attention, though, was his wide smile and deep laugh. His voice was almost as deep as Finn's Pop's voice and it gave Finn goosebumps just hearing it.

"Finn!" His Pop's voice jolted him out of his thoughts and he quickly ripped his eyes away from the heavily tattooed guy in front of him "You're home! Come in here. I want you to meet Ozzy."

Finn swallowed thickly and stepped into the kitchen, watching as the guy in front of him slowly smiled at him before standing up and meeting Finn half way with his hand outstretched "Hi. I'm Ozzy."

Finn shook his hand and smiled back at him, probably a bit shyly "Finn. Nice to meet you."

"Same man," Ozzy let go of his hand and clapped him once on the back before taking back his seat at the breakfast bar "Harry talks about you all whenever he gets the chance."

Finn smiled and rolled his eyes at his Pop "Funnily enough, he talks about you all the time, too. Pretty sure we watched every single one of your performances on "The Voice". I'm surprised Pop didn't have us there to watch in person while we were in LA with him. We visited for a few weeks."

"Excuse me! You and your sisters had no interest in coming to see the show and the twins were too young." Harry exclaimed.

"It's LA Pop. We didn't want to be stuck in a studio. We wanted to be at the beach." Finn said, taking a seat at the breakfast bar with his Pop and Ozzy.

"Yeah yeah. Anyway, Ozzy will be in London for the next few months. We're working on his new album. So you'll probably see a lot of him," His Pop tells him.

"Oh. That's cool," Finn said, flicking his eyes over Ozzy's face again. The guy was pretty hot. Finn wouldn't mind getting to look at him everyday.

"How was practice this morning?" His Pop asked, sitting back on his stool and looking at him.

Finn shrugged "It was practice. Dad came over to watch for a bit."

"That's right! You're a professional Soccer player! I forgot that," Ozzy speaks up, his face lighting up.

"You can come to some matches with us while you're in London. We can see Arsenal as well. That's who Rory plays for." His Pop turned to Ozzy with a smile on his face.

"Sick! That'd be awesome. I've never actually been to a professional match before," Ozzy said excitedly.

"You like football?" Finn asked, surprised.

Ozzy smiled at him and chuckled a little bit "Yeah. Most people assume I'm not into sports because of how I look."

Finn's eyes widened comically and he stumbles around his words a bit, trying to explain himself "No! Oh no, no, no, that's not- I just meant like- Football isn't really popular in America. A bunch of other sports are more popular."

Ozzy let out a loud laugh, his eyes dancing and filled with amusement "That's true. American football is much more popular. I like that, too. I like all sports actually."

Oh. Well. Finn could feel himself starting to blush and he ducked his head briefly, hoping to hide it. The more he looked at Ozzy, the more attractive he got. The fact he loved sports didn't help either. Finn was a huge sports fan and loved being able to talk sports with someone who understood what he was talking about. Now if he found out Ozzy liked to read and was into literature, he might develop a serious crush on the guy. His Pop would kill him.

"What's your favourite?" Finn lifted his head up and gazed at Ozzy, taking in the way his tongue flicked over his lip ring. He had a fleeting thought that he'd love to flick his own tongue over that lip ring before he managed to snap himself out of it and pay attention to what Ozzy was saying.

"I'd have to say American football. It's an American past time. I love going to a stadium and hearing the roar of eighty thousand people screaming for their team. That's one of the things I like about Soccer. I'd watch the World Cup or Euro Cup on TV and the crowd was always deafening, singing and jumping around. I honestly can't wait to see a match and experience it for myself. Hey," Ozzy perked up a bit, fixing his gorgeous green eyes on Finn "What team do you play for?"

"Chelsea," Finn answered, staring into Ozzy's eyes unable to look away.

Ozzy let out a low whistle before a grin took over his face "Chelsea is good, man. Really good. I don't remember you being on the team last Spring. Did you join the team in August? I haven't seen a Chelsea match this year yet. Caught a few Manchester City matches and I saw Man. United against Arsenal last week."

"Yeah. My debut match was the first one of the season. You seem to know a bit about football over here. I don't think I even realized it was televised in America." Finn scrunched his nose up in confusion.

"I think it's broadcast all over the world, man. It's a big deal." Ozzy laughed "The fact you don't know that is good. It means you're focused on the game and not all the other bullshit that comes with it. A lot of athletes get sucked into that."

"Well since the two of you seem to be quite content talking about football, I'm going to leave you here while I pick the twins up from school. Do you mind, Oz? You can come with me if you need anything. I can drive you." His Pop offered.

"Nah. I'm good. The label treats me like I'm a king. I have everything I need right now. I'll stick around here as long as Finn doesn't mind?" Ozzy turned to Finn, a question in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm good with it. I wasn't planning on doing anything but relaxing today anyway," Finn said.

"Alright! I won't be long. Make yourself at home Oz." His Pop said, then he turned around and left the kitchen, a minute later they heard the door close behind him.

"You sure I'm not keeping you from anything? You had practice all morning. If you want to just relax I can amuse myself." Ozzy broke the silence, his palms laying flat on the counter.

"I'm sure. I wasn't planning on doing anything. Maybe read a bit or watch telly. Probably play with the twins when they got home." Finn answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Watching the telly. If I'm not careful I'm going to turn British," Ozzy laughed "Actually, funny story, after spending so much time with Harry during the competition, I kept replacing my cursing with the word bloody. Bloody this and bloody that. I didn't even notice. My friends pointed it out to me then they proceeded to make fun of me all the time."

"Did everybody turn into a bloody wanker or a bloody twat?" Finn couldn't help but laugh loudly. It always amused him when Americans started talking like Brits.

"No. I can one hundred percent say I still use the word cunt. I save that word for very special people who deserve it though. Like my cunt for a father. Only really fucked up people get that word out of me," Ozzy said, his tone turning bitter.

"Um..." Finn has no idea what to say at this point. Clearly Ozzy didn't have a good relationship with his Dad and after just having met him, Finn didn't think it was his place to ask questions. Even if Ozzy was the one to bring it up.

"Sorry," Ozzy cringed and looked at Finn apologetically "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. That's heavy shit to lay on somebody you just met. Forget I said anything."

"Okay," Finn did as Ozzy asked, quickly changing the subject "Are you from New York? Your accent sounds New York."

"I'm very New York. Brooklyn. Don't think I'll ever lose this accent," Ozzy grinned sheepishly.

"That's okay. It's really-" Finn snapped his mouth shut abruptly, his eyes going a bit wide. He was about to say hot. Oh my God. He's known this guy for half an hour and he's already about to hit on him. What the fuck? He doesn't do that! It takes him forever to flirt with someone. He's shy and quiet, keeps to himself. Now he's got a hot American guy in front of him and he's ready to hop into his lap. What. The. Fuck. "-cool. It's really cool."

Yeah, because that sounded so much better. He sounds like a fucking idiot. It's really cool? Who even says that about an accent?

Ozzy laughed, his eyes squinting a little as he tips his head back "Our accents are like one extreme to the other aren't they? Yours is kind of posh, like Harry's and mine is very middle class."

"Do I really sound posh?" Finn asked, his face screwed up a bit.

"Oh definitely. It's not a bad thing though. It's kind of cute the way you over pronounce your T's." Ozzy grinned.

And what? Did Ozzy just call him cute? Was that just a tiny blush on his cheeks when he bit his lip after realizing what he said? Oh my God. He has to get a grip on himself right now. He doesn't crush on people. He doesn't act all cute and lovey dovey. He wasn't very demonstrative at all and now he's freaking out in his head over some boy he just met.

Ozzy's phone rang then and after checking the screen he told Finn he had to take the call and excused himself for a minute before answering "Hi," there was a slight pause then Ozzy's face transformed into something soft and fond "Hi baby. How'd you sleep?"

Finn busies himself with his phone, trying not to listen in too closely. Whoever was on the phone, Ozzy called them baby. It was probably his girlfriend. Finn didn't need to be reminded that he didn't have a chance with this guy. Even if Ozzy was gay, he's older than Finn, probably with a lot more experience than him, and they probably had nothing in common. Besides all that, Finn was a total nerd and hot as fuck guys like Ozzy didn't date nerds.

"I'll be back later tonight okay? I love you. Bye baby," Finn hears the tail end of Ozzy's conversation before he hangs up and comes back to sit down with Finn with a smile on his face "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. It sounded important," Finn put his phone back down on the counter and looked up at Ozzy again "I actually just remembered I wanted to watch some videos of Manchester City from last season. We're playing them on Saturday and they have most of the same players again this year."

"Oh! Like to break down their strategy and their strengths and weaknesses? What position do you play?" Ozzy asked, looking genuinely interested.

"I'm a striker." Finn answered, assuming Ozzy knew enough about the sport to know what that is.

"Ah. You attack with the ball and piss off the defenders then," Ozzy smirked "Do you talk smack while you're moving about in front of the goal? Get inside their heads?"

"Don't need to," Finn shrugged "The midfielders get me the ball, I put it in the back of the net. I don't need to distract anybody or get in anybody's head."

Ozzy looked at him with his head tilted to the side a bit and a curious look on his face, like he was trying to figure something out "You're that good huh? I can't wait to see you play then. I look forward to it."

Finn swallowed and sunk his teeth into his bottom lip. The atmosphere in the room shifted a bit and Ozzy was openly staring at him, looking like he wanted to eat him. The front door opened and closed then, and his sister's came barreling in and the look on Ozzy's face changed completely, leaving Finn thinking he imagined the whole thing.

 

~~~

  
Finn stood under the spray of the hot shower after his match on Sunday, welcoming the feel of the hot water on his aching muscles. It was a rough match. Manchester City were good. Really good. Chelsea were good too, though, and it was a very hard fought match with a lot of pushing and shoving and fast paced play. It ended with Chelsea winning 2-1, thanks to a goal scored in the eighty-ninth minute. Finn had gotten the ball and managed to come in from the side, aiming just right so that the ball sailed up into the top right corner. There wasn't a lot of room, he had to be very precise but he was confident. He trusted his skill, trusted his brain, and knew he was taught everything he knows by his big brother. The best player in the league for the past sixteen years.

"Woo! Horan! What a fucking brilliant goal, lad." Finn was greeted by the sounds of his teammates celebrating when he walked out of the showers with his towel around his waist "Cole had you played perfectly and you still got around him enough to get the top right corner. Well done. Very well done."

Finn smiled and fist bumped Derrick, one of their defenders, on his way to his locker. He really liked all of his teammates. They made him feel welcome from day one and he's become friends with some of them pretty quickly. They sit together on the bus for away matches and share hotel rooms whenever they stay somewhere over night. It doesn't happen often. England isn't that big and once a match is done they get on the bus and drive back to London.

While chatting with his teammates and laughing at their banter, Finn got dressed and packed up his bag so he could head home. He just wanted to get off his feet after that match. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and his shin was starting to hurt a bit from where he got spiked a bit when going after the ball. He'd definitely have a bruise there if he didn't have one already.

He called out a goodbye to his teammates and exited through the large double doors into the hallway outside the locker room and standing right across from the locker room with his back up against the wall and hands in his pockets was Ozzy Peters.

"Hey," Ozzy said with a smile on his face when he saw Finn "I hope you don't mind that I waited for you. Your parents left as soon as the match ended. Your brothers were antagonizing each other and apparently it was only a matter of time before they blew up and caused a scene. Harry said they wanted to get them in the car and away from other people before that happened."

Finn snorted and reached up to run a hand through his still damp hair. It was getting a bit long, curling a bit at the ends around his neck. His Dad's hair did the same thing. So did Rory's. He wasn't surprised. They were biologically related. "Yeah. When they fight they're really loud and obnoxious. My parents like to spare the public."

"They're cute," Ozzy chuckled "Very smart and very devious. I like it."

"They're definitely something else that's for sure," Finn smiled.

"So anyway, I wanted to come tell you what a great match that was and I told Harry I'd tell you they left," Ozzy explained.

Finn watched Ozzy shrug his shoulders, his hands still shoved in the pockets of his too tight jeans and his jacket practically swallowing him even though he wasn't a small man. Only a bit shorter than Finn- probably 5'9 or 5'10. He looked so soft and cuddly as he smiled softly at Finn and Finn felt his stomach swoop a bit, images of cuddling in his bed with this guy, taking over his brain.

"Thank you," Finn managed to snap himself out of it "I'm glad you enjoyed the match."

"Enjoyed? I fucking loved it!" Ozzy sounded incredulous "It was brilliant. The defence on both teams was so tight I didn't think any goals would be scored and you- you were brilliant! I was watching the midfielders and there was one of them, Herrera, who I swear was communicating telepathically with you or something because you were so in sync and you knew exactly where to go to receive the ball and you almost scored so many times and- Jesus it was just impressive. Like, that goal you scored? Cole had you played perfectly. There was nothing more he could have done and you still scored! Oh my God!"

Finn couldn't help the huge smile that took over his face the more Ozzy talked. He was clearly excited and talking a mile a minute, his eyes wide and practically shining and when he'd bite down on his lip, Finn noticed for the first time that he had dimples. They weren't nearly as pronounced as his Pop's but they were there and they weren't helping with the little crush he seemed to be developing.

"You really do know the game, don't you?" Finn smiled shyly "Hey. How did you get here?"

"To the locker room or...?"

"No to the stadium."

"Oh. I took the tube." Ozzy shrugged.

"You took the- are you crazy? You could have gotten mobbed or something!" Finn stared at him with wide eyes "Did you forget you're famous? My Pop used to do that back in the day. Come on, I'll give you a ride back to your hotel. I have my car."

"You don't have to do that Finn. I'm fine." Ozzy told him, putting his hand on Finn's bare arm. He was only wearing a t-shirt, not having put his jacket on yet and the touch burned his skin and gave him goosebumps and Finn was turning into a ridiculous fool.

"I want too. You're staying in Central London?" Finn asked as they walked side by side to the carpark.

"At The Dorchester, yeah." Ozzy responded, absentmindedly tugging at his lip ring with his teeth. Finn wished he'd stop doing that. It was incredibly hot.

"You took the tube from The Dorchester? Are you mad? I may not pay attention to the music industry much but I know enough to know you're proper famous. You didn't bring a bodyguard or anything either!"

"Okay Dad, calm down," Ozzy smirked and rolled his eyes as they got to Finn's car and they both got in, putting on their seat belts. "I put a beanie on over my hair since it's cold out anyway and I kept my head down. I was fine. The thing about big cities is people are always in a rush to get somewhere. They don't look at the faces of the people they walk past on the street."

"Still. It was risky wasn't it?"Finn asked nervously.

"I mean, there's a risk in anything we do isn't there? There's a risk every time you step out on the Soccer pitch, there's a risk every time we all walk out of our houses everyday. I can't let that stop me from living my life. I love what I do and I understand fame comes along with that but I'm going to do everything I can to keep my life as normal as possible for myself and Jacob."

Finn looked both ways before he drove out of the carpark, a look of confusion on his face "Who's Jacob?"

"He's my son," Ozzy looked over at Finn with his own look of confusion "Harry didn't mention him?"

"I-I have no idea. I don't think so? Then again he's known you for three years. Maybe he did and I don't remember. Wow," Finn looked over at Ozzy when they stopped at a red light "That's-wow. How old is he?"

"He's four. He just turned four in September." Ozzy's face lit up just from talking about his son, the smile on his face fond.

"Wow. That's young. Is he- is he here in London with you?" Finn asked, trying to keep himself calm. It just gets worse for him. He hasn't known Ozzy long, this is only the second time they've met but Finn finds himself thinking about him all the time. He may look tough but he's so sweet and now he has a kid? Finn loves kids! A hot guy with a kid is not a good combination for Finn. Not if he wants to keep his heart from melting.

"He is. It's just me and him so he comes everywhere with me. He's at the hotel with his nanny now, which makes me sound so fucking pretentious," Ozzy laughed at himself "But I had to accept I couldn't have a career in music and still take care of him on my own. Back in New York, I worked two jobs to support us and he stayed with my older sister while I worked. I was very lucky she's a stay at home mom and could take him. If I had to find money for a babysitter everyday I don't know what I would have done. When I won "The Voice" and got a record deal, I knew I'd be busy making an album and promoting it then hopefully going on tour if it was successful. I refused to just leave my one year old with my sister while I travelled around the world. He's my son, I can't live without him so I hired a nanny once I started making money. Harry helped me with that, actually. He gave me names of people I could trust. I just had to pick one."

"You're-you're raising him by yourself? How old were you when he was born?" Finn asked, amazed.

"Eighteen. I never knew two words could turn my world upside down but then I heard the words 'I'm pregnant' and everything just...stopped. I was standing on my own two feet but I felt like I was falling into a deep dark hole. I was so shocked and didn't know what to do. I didn't even know this girl. She was just someone I met at a party. I had to figure things out pretty quickly though. She didn't want a kid. I practically had to beg her not to get an abortion. I love kids and no matter how hard it would be I wanted him so I told her I'd take him and she'd never have to see him again. She was quite happy with that. It's her loss. I look at him everyday and can't really fathom how someone couldn't want him. Hopefully it won't affect him in the future. Hopefully I can love him enough for two people."

Finn was gobsmacked. He couldn't talk, could barely swallow and it took all his concentration just to keep his eyes on the road and the car from crashing. His silence must have gone on for too long because Ozzy's voice filled the car again and he sounded unsure of himself.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. You asked how old I was, not for my life story. I just- sometimes I start talking and I don't know when to shut up. I'm sorry."

"Hey," Finn surprised himself by reaching over and putting a hand on top of Ozzy's own hand on his thigh "It's okay. I don't mind. I was just trying to process it all. Like, I'm eighteen right now and I like to think I'm mature for my age but if someone handed me a newborn right now and told me I had to do everything alone, I'd have a nervous breakdown. What you did, what you're still doing, is really fucking brave."

Ozzy snorted out a laugh and Finn turned his head quickly, wondering what he said that was so funny "I love the way you British people saying fucking. It sounds so posh. Oh my God."

Finn can't help the startled laugh that left his mouth. He wasn't expecting that at all.

"Anyway. Back to what you were saying. You wouldn't have a nervous breakdown if your girlfriend came to you tomorrow and says she's pregnant. You think you would but you'd find out pretty quickly that you do what you have to for the people you love. I loved Jacob before he was even born so when he was born and I was left alone with him, I just...did it. One day at a time."

"I don't have a girlfriend," Finn said, wincing when he heard himself. After everything Ozzy just said, that's what he takes away from it all? That he should announce he doesn't have a girlfriend?

"Me either, man," Ozzy holds his fist up for a fist bump and Finn automatically obliges like he's on autopilot.

They pull up to the front of the hotel then, and Ozzy releases his seat belt before turning to Finn with a smile on his face "Thank you for the ride, Finn, and thank you for an awesome match. It was brilliant, you were brilliant. I guess I might see you around soon? Harry likes to work at his studio at your house so I guess that's where we'll be working on my album."

"Yeah. Definitely. I'll see you soon," Finn smiled, then watched and waved when Ozzy got out of the car and turned back to wave at him.

  
~~~

  
When Finn got home after dropping Ozzy off, everyone was home, even Rory was there.

"Hey little brother!" Rory engulfed him in a hug and planted a big kiss on the top of his head.

"Hey," Finn chuckled against Rory's shoulder "What are you doing here? How was your match today?"

"Not as good as yours. We lost. Saw highlights from your match after. You were brilliant, Finny. Your drive, your focus on the pitch, it's amazing. I'm so fucking proud of you," Rory pulled back, grinning at Finn "Just a couple more weeks until Chelsea meets Arsenal. We're gonna have our hands full with you."

"Well it doesn't help that you're old now and can't keep up," Finn teased, ducking to escape the slap to his head Rory tried to deliver. He took off running toward the kitchen, laughing like crazy while Rory took off after him cursing.

"I am not old you little brat!" Rory yelled as Finn slid on his socks around to the other side of the breakfast bar. He laughed loudly and looked across at his brother who was also laughing, a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his face.

"What's going on?" Their Dad asked from his spot at the kitchen table, an amused look on his face.

"This brat called me old!" Rory said with his hands on his hips.

"Jesus,"His Dad snorted "If you're old I must be fucking ancient then. Harry!!"

Finn planted both hands flat on the breakfast bar and breathed through his giggles. Rory was giving him the evil eye from across the bar but Finn knew he was only joking. He could barely keep the grin off his face.

"What's going on?" Their Pop walked into the room, looking back and forth between their Dad and them.

"Our children are making me feel old. Send them to their room or something,"His Dad said, pretending to be upset.

"You want me to send our thirty-six year old son to his room?"His Pop quirked an eyebrow "I'll get right on that."

"Oh shut up!"His Dad said, leaning out of his chair to smack their Pop across the arse.

"Oh God. Come on Finny, they're probably going to start snogging on the table in a minute," Rory turned to leave the kitchen, Finn following behind.

"Please tell me you didn't walk in on them snogging on the table?" Finn looks horrified.

"No, thank God," Rory screwed up his face "I figure it's only a matter of time though."

They made their way into the living room where Rory picked a screaming Kate up off the couch and sat down with her on his lap "How's my darling sister?"

"She's about to punch you in the face," Kate glared at Rory and wriggled around to get loose from him.

"Oohhhhhh," Rory let Kate climb off him and sit back on the couch beside him "This one is definitely a Horan. Temper temper."

Kate doesn't respond, simply gives Rory the finger which has Rory and Finn dying with laughter.

"You never did say what you're doing here?" Finn asked Rory when they stopped laughing "Where's Anna and my nieces and nephew?"

"I don't know why I'm here. Dad and Pop asked me to come over. Anna is home with the kids. Penny and Danny are feeling a bit under the weather."

"Well that sucks," Finn frowns "I'll come over and see them tomorrow if they're not too sick."

"Alright!"His Pop walked into the room with Matty in his arms, his Dad, Charlie and Nori right behind "Everybody sit and shut up."

"Harry," His Dad gives his Pop a stern look and eyes the twins, his Pop just rolls his eyes and waits for everyone to get settled.

All of them are settled on the L shaped couch in the living room. Rory on one end with Charlie on his lap, Finn on the other with Matty on his lap and Kate and Nori are in the middle.

"We have a gorgeous family don't we?" His Pop says to his Dad.

"That we do, darlin'" His Dad smiles at his Pop then turns and smiles at all of them. They take a seat together on the love seat, immediately wrapped around each other because they always have to be touching. They can't be in the same room without touching. Finn desperately hopes he has that someday, though he hasn't told anybody but Rory that. Only Rory knows what a true sap he is.

"So," His Pop clapped his hands together once "I'll get right to it. About a year and a half ago I told your Dad I wanted another baby. He said yes because he can't say no to me-"

Rory interrupted him with loud laughter, his body shaking and making Charlie bounce around a little. Charlie has no idea what he's laughing at, Finn can tell, but that doesn't stop him from laughing and of course Matty has to do whatever Charlie does.

"Are you quite finished?" His Pop levels a glare on Rory which only makes Rory start giggling.

"I can't help it!" Rory nearly chokes on his laughter "I'm laughing because it's true. Dad can't say no to you. If he tries you flash your dimples at him and he gives in."

Nori groaned and covered her face with her hand "I was afraid of where that sentence was going when you said the word flash"

Finn started to laugh silently at his sister, his body shaking as he tries to hold it in. Rory does no such thing, his loud laugh booming through the room until his face turns red and the twins are giggling like crazy.

"Harry. Our children are dirty minded. Where do you think they got that from?"

His Dad and Pop stare at each other for a full minute before they each say "Bobby" which doesn't help to calm Rory down at all. He ends up leaving the room for a minute to blow his nose and wipe at his eyes with tissues.

"Anyway," His Pop dragged out the word "We started looking for a surrogate. We took our time because we can't just pick someone off the street. We found one though, and we did the IVF and we're very excited to tell you she's four months pregnant and in five months you'll have a new sister or brother."

Finn, Rory, Nori and Kate all look at them with their jaws dropped while the twins start jumping around in the middle of the living room, Charlie yelling to Matty that they won't be the babies anymore.

"Well," Rory is the first to shake himself out of his shock "I guess my children will have another aunt or uncle younger than them."

"Yeah," His Dad shrugs "We have a weird family. Might as well keep on going with it."

"Well congratulations! This kid is going to be the luckiest. We all know that first hand," Rory smiles fondly at all of his siblings.

"Congratulations Daddy, Pop," Kate jumps up and hugs them both "This is exciting!"

"You're the best parents in the world. You'll be the best to this new baby, too," Nori smiles wide, looking more and more like their Pop everyday. Sometimes it startled Finn a bit when he looked at her and saw their Pop's wide smile and dimples.

"Finn?" His Dad looked at him, a question in his eyes.

"You know me," Finn shrugged "I love all of you a lot and when this new baby comes I'll love him or her just the same. I'm happy for you. You're the best parents."

His parents both smiled wide and held onto each other tight "Good. We're glad you're all okay with it." His Pop says "We didn't want to say anything until the surrogate was passed the three month mark. We didn't want to get you all prepared for something and then it doesn't happen."

"Anyway. Now that that is done, who wants pizza for dinner? Pop isn't cooking tonight. We're giving him a break. Rory? You staying?" His Dad asked, standing up to go order the pizzas.

"I might be. I'm going to text Anna and make sure she doesn't need me. I don't want to leave her with two sick kids if they're really poorly." Rory said, taking his phone out to text.

Everyone scatters around the house and Finn takes the opportunity to go up to his room and lay flat on his back on his bed for a minute. It really was a long, hard fought match and he had the bruises to show for it. It was good though. He was never afraid of hard work and it always felt great to win when you worked your arse off for it.

His thoughts wander to Ozzy of course and the way he smiled at him earlier, the way his eyes lit up and he started talking faster and faster while talking about the match, the way his whole face turned soft at the mention of his son. The way his tongue moved over his lip ring seductively, whether it was his intention or not. The way his deep voice sent tingles right up his spine. The way his Adam's apple bobbed in his throat when he threw his head back and laughed. The way his arse and thighs look in his tight jeans...

"Jesus," Finn cursed, throwing his arm over his eyes. What the fuck is wrong with him? Yes he's found people attractive before but he was never this hot for them after only meeting twice. He never had them on his mind constantly, thinking about what he wanted to do to them. It was beyond frustrating.

"You okay, Finny?" Rory walked into the room and threw himself across the bed above Finn's head, the bed bouncing around a few times before it stilled again.

Finn sighed and threw his hands out at his sides on the bed "I think I'm losing my mind."

Rory lay on his side with his head propped up by his hand and looked down at him with a smirk on his face "I mean, you spent the first two years of your life with just me, Dad and Pop. It was bound to happen."

Finn snorted and threw a hand up over his head to smack Rory's leg "Seriously. You know when I like someone it takes me awhile to warm up to them? I'm kind of slow to share how I'm feeling? Well I've met someone a grand total of two times and they're all I can think about. That's not me. I don't do that."

"How do you know that though? You haven't had a serious relationship before. Maybe when the right one comes along, that's how it'll be for you." Rory said, his fingers brushing through Finn's hair.

"I highly doubt I'll know if someone is the one after meeting twice," Finn rolled his eyes.

"Why not? I did with Anna. I'm not saying it was like a rom-com or something. We had tough times. We broke up for four years and for all those four years I still loved her and couldn't keep a steady relationship because of that. I'm serious, Finn. By our second date I knew I wanted to marry her someday."

"It's a lot more complicated for me," Finn sighed "It's a guy and I don't even know if he's gay, bi, or pan like me. He might be straight."

"Okay," Rory nodded "Are you friends? Maybe if you can find out what he's into it'll help. If he's straight and you have no chance then you can move on and put it behind you. If he's gay then you have a shot. You can figure out if maybe he feels the same way about you."

"He's gorgeous, Rory. I'm a nerd. I don't think he'd be interested even if he is gay,"

Rory laughed incredulously and reached over to the bedside table where Finn left his I-pad. He opened it up and started tapping on the screen, opening up what looked like his Twitter. "Do you not use your Twitter?"

"Sometimes," Finn shrugged "The team likes us to tweet about matches and footie related stuff."

"Uh huh. Clearly you don't look at your mentions. Let me read some recent ones for you," Rory looked positively giddy and Finn wondered if he should be worried right now.

**Wicked goal today @Finn_Horan perhaps you could rip your shirt off next time in celebration?**

"Oh my God!" Finn looked horrified "I'm not an arrogant twat like Ronaldo back in the day."

@ **Finn_Horan looks so fit in** **his kit. Bet he looks even better out of it.**

"Give me that!" Finn grabs his I-pad from Rory who was laughing uproariously "You're making that up!"

Finn looks down at the I-pad and glimpses some of the posts and oh...he didn't make them up. Well.

"See?" Rory says through his laughter "Women everywhere want you and probably some men too. You get so caught up in your own little world you don't notice what's right in front of you. Nori told me once that a lot of the girls at school were hoping you'd ask them out. You're definitely a nerd but to them you're a hot nerd."

Finn fell back onto the bed and groaned "This is embarrassing."

"Why? You're good looking, Finny. Own it. If a hot girl or guy wants to go out with you, go out and have fun. No strings attached. You've done friends with benefits before, with Brian. Were you not comfortable with that?"

"I was. I was curious about my sexuality. He helped me figure it out."

"Alright then. Brian was clearly interested so why wouldn't this new guy be interested? Don't be so down on yourself little brother. Anybody would be really lucky to have you. I'm really lucky to have you. It's been a real pleasure watching you grow up. I love you a lot," Rory said, his voice turning completely serious.

"Yeah," Finn swallowed back his emotion. He may find it hard to express himself sometimes but not with Rory. Never with Rory "I love you, too."

"I just came to tell you I'm not staying for pizza. I need to get back and help Anna with the little ones. Call me if you need me, yeah? Anytime."

"I will," Finn stood up, nodding "I'll keep you posted."

"Good! See ya Finny."

"Bye," Finn said then he flopped back onto his bed and groaned again. What has he gotten himself into?

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter Two! I really hope you all enjoy it and please leave comments and kudos to let me know if you like the story and are interested in it continuing. I'd very much appreciate it :)
> 
>  
> 
> Since this story takes place in the future, I obviously have no idea what songs will be out in 2043 so the song in this chapter is a song from a few years ago by a Canadian band called Three Days Grace. It's called "Last to Know" and I chose it because it fit Ozzy's situation perfectly. All credit obviously goes to the band who wrote the song.

 

 

 

 

 **December** **2042**

 

 

It's been three weeks since Ozzy and Jacob arrived in London. They spent the first week at The Dorchester until the apartment the label rented for him was ready and now they were all moved in to the spacious apartment in Kensington. It was truly beautiful and more than once Ozzy had to sit back and wonder how this had become his life? Three short years ago he thought his life would be working the day shift at a cafe then spending a few hours with Jacob at dinner time before putting him to bed and going to his gigs at small bars around New York. There was nothing wrong with working in a cafe of course. He loved the people he worked with and the regulars who always tipped well and had a smile on their faces. He wanted more for his son than a father who had to scrape money together every month just to pay the rent. He wanted Jacob to have not only the things he needed but the things he wanted as well.

Now, as he looked around his new apartment, he realized he could do that. The place was perfect. The bottom floor had a large entryway that led into a large, open living room. Through there was a large kitchen with doors that let in the sunshine and led out to a huge garden with flowers and even a small fountain. There was a half bathroom off the kitchen, along with a room for a washer and dryer.

On the second floor were three bedrooms. Ozzy took the master bedroom that looked out over the garden and Jacob was in the room next to him. Kara, Jacob's nanny, had the room at the very end of the hall that faced the street and actually had a distant view of Kensington Palace. She was tickled pink as she was a huge admirer of King William and Queen Catherine who once lived there. Now their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte lived there in their own apartments with their own families. Ozzy has neglected to tell Kara that Niall and therefore Harry had befriended The Queen years ago when she was The Duchess of Cambridge. That might cause her to faint and crack her head open.

As he opened the fridge to see what he wanted to make for breakfast, his thoughts drifted to the day before when Harry asked if he could come over early to do a bit of writing. He told Ozzy not to eat anything so they could eat together and since Niall had already left for work and all their kids were in school, it was just him, Harry and, God help him, a half naked Finnegan Horan.

He can feel the blush take over his whole face and neck as he remembers Finn walking into the kitchen still half asleep and wearing nothing but a tight black pair of Calvin Klein boxers. Ozzy had sucked in a breath and gotten granola stuck in his throat which sent him into a coughing fit. That of course alerted Finn to the fact he wasn't alone and the boy had turned red and quickly disappeared up the stairs with his orange juice.

The damage had been done though. Ozzy had seen everything and he couldn't get it out of his mind. He knew Finn was hot from the first moment he saw him, in fact he remembers thinking he was cute when Harry showed him pictures of his family one time but he was sixteen at the time so Ozzy didn't think anything of it.

He was most definitely not sixteen anymore. Oh no. He was eighteen, six feet tall, and there was not an ounce of fat on his body. If he closes his eyes he can picture Finn's broad shoulders, his bulging biceps, his muscular chest that was sprinkled with dark chest hair, the perfect amount for Ozzy to rake his finger nails through, his six pack of abs and a happy trail that disappeared into his tight boxer shorts.

Of course he didn't miss what was below the waist either. There was no hiding the fact that the guy had a nice size cock hidden in those boxer shorts and his thighs? They were thick and muscular from years of playing soccer and Ozzy would have given anything in that moment to have those thighs wrapped around his head while he was sucking the boy off.

Ozzy opened his eyes and gasped. Sweat had broken out on his forehead and he was hard in his joggers. He was supposed to be figuring out what to get him and his son for breakfast, not having erotic fantasies about a boy that was very much off limits. He probably wasn't even in to guys and if he were, Ozzy couldn't do that to Harry. Harry had done so much for him, had become like a father to him when his own Dad didn't give a shit. He couldn't repay him by fucking his son.

He leaned back against the counter and took some deep breaths to try and calm himself down. He had to admit it probably wouldn't be just fucking. He's met Finn a few times, had some conversations with him, learned some things about him from Harry and he seems like a great guy. He's exactly the type of guy Ozzy would want in his life, in his son's life. He's sweet and soft spoken, smart, kind, funny, he adores his family, his little siblings and it honestly made his heart swoop when he saw Finn interacting with his six year old brothers and his three year old nephew. Not for the first time he wished he had someone like that in Jacob's life.

With a sigh, he pushed off the counter and opened the fridge again to take out some eggs. There was no use thinking about it. Finn was off limits to him, no matter how much Ozzy liked him.

 

~~~

  
They got a late start to the day. Harry had something going on at the twins school. A field trip to a museum that he was chaperoning so Ozzy spent all morning with Jacob and gave Kara the morning off to go shopping or exploring. He met Harry at his house at two and Harry told them they could work into the evening if he wanted to because Rory was picking the twins up from school and bringing them to his house to play with their nieces and nephew and Nori and Kate were old enough to take care of themselves. Niall was taking care of dinner when he came home so they were all covered.

Now, it was going on eight o'clock and they were taking a break to eat the lovely dinner Niall was nice enough to bring to them. Ozzy wasted no time digging into the delicious looking spaghetti and moaned in appreciation when he took a bite from the garlic bread. It was soft and doughy, not hard as a rock like he's gotten in some restaurants.

"Geez. Thanks Niall. This is so good. It's really nice of you to do this so Harry can help me out," Ozzy says sincerely.

Niall is standing behind Harry, gently rubbing his shoulders while he eats and smiles kindly at Ozzy "You're very welcome. It was no trouble at all. Harry thinks of you like a son so I guess that makes you my son now too. Welcome to our crazy family!"

Ozzy wants to laugh out loud but instead he ends up getting a bit choked up and has to take a long drink of water to compose himself. It doesn't go unnoticed by Niall though and he's looking over at Ozzy with concern in his eyes "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

Harry had missed Ozzy's reaction because he was looking down at his plate but he too was looking at Ozzy with concerned eyes now "I'm fine. You didn't say anything wrong. You just- you don't even know me very well, not as well as Harry, yet you're treating me like a son, welcoming me to your family when my own father doesn't give a shit about me. I haven't even seen him in ten years."

Niall let go of Harry's shoulders and pulled a chair up to their makeshift table, placing a warm hand on his shoulder "I don't know your story. I don't know what happened with your Dad. What I do know is you've made something of yourself without him, in spite of him. You've made a great life for yourself and for your son by working hard and not giving up. If your Dad wants nothing to do with you, it's one hundred percent his loss."

"I agree with Niall. It's his loss. He did leave you with something valuable though. Knowledge. Knowledge on how to not be a bad father to your son. You're a wonderful father, Oz. I've seen you in action. Jacob adores you. You've done the complete opposite as your own father. Don't ever doubt yourself." Harry reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

Ozzy let out a long breath and chuckled to himself "You're trying to make me cry aren't you?"

"Lots of crying happens in this house. Might as well keep it going," Niall shrugged, making Ozzy and Harry laugh.

"Your kids are really lucky to have you. Really lucky," Ozzy smiles at them.

"Oh!" Harry gasps, his eyes going wide "That reminds me. I haven't even told you we're having another baby! Our surrogate is due in just over five months."

"Shut up?!?!" Ozzy threw his napkin down and stood up, throwing himself at Harry to hug him "That's great news! Congratulations. What is that now? Kid number seven?"

"Yup!" Niall smiled proudly "I'm fifty-one. I thought we were done but then Harry said he wanted another one and-"

"-and you couldn't say no right?" Ozzy laughed "Nobody on "The Voice" set could say no to him either. Besides, your heart eyes for him can be seen a mile away. I hope I can be like you guys someday. Someone to love me unconditionally and lots of kids!"

"You will. You'll have all of that. You're a great guy and any man or woman would be lucky to have you," Harry said.

Ozzy snorted "After the experience I had with my last girlfriend, I think I'm traumatized and would prefer to stay far, far away from any woman. I'll stick with men I think."

Niall looks at him and nods seriously "Good choice. Stay away from the boobs. You don't need 'em"

Harry lets out a loud, cackling laugh and Ozzy isn't far behind. He suspects there's more to this story, an inside joke maybe, but he doesn't care. Just the sound of Harry sounding like a seal is enough to make him laugh.

Awhile later, when they calmed down and finished their dinner, they convinced Niall to stay and jam with them for awhile. Once he picked up one of his acoustics he starts to play an old song and Ozzy forgets his Dad even exists.

  
~~~

When Finn steps inside his house after dinner out with his friends, the place is completely quiet. He's not really surprised. It's a Friday and he knows the twins are staying with Rory and Anna for the night, Nori is sixteen and likely out to see a film with her friends and Kate is probably at one of her friends houses, pouring over fashion websites. She's obsessed with fashion. Finn hopes she doesn't turn into a diva.

When he walks past the door that leads downstairs he hears music and singing and heads down to see what his parents are doing. He gets to the bottom of the stairs and walks down the hall past the game room and stands in the doorway to the studio, his eyes widening when he realizes Ozzy is there and he's singing with his Dad, his Pop staring at them with a huge smile on his face.

Finn stays quiet and hidden a bit listening to them. His Dad and Ozzy are both playing acoustic guitars and their voices blended together perfectly. They were singing a song that had to be almost seventy years old but it was a classic and Finn knew it. His parents loved the classics and Finn and his siblings couldn't grow up here and not learn some of them.

Well, I've been afraid of changing  
'Cause I've built my life around you  
But time made you bolder  
Even children get older  
And I'm getting older too

Finn liked this song. He really liked Stevie Nick's voice and was sad she was long dead. He would have liked to have been alive when Fleetwood Mac was around. Of course his Pop met her when he was nineteen and in the industry for only a year. His Pop knew everybody. They'd been to fucking Buckingham Palace to have dinner with The King and Queen for fuck's sake. Just a casual dinner, his Pop said. They're just our friends. You don't have to remember to bow and call them your majesty. Sir and Ma'am would be fine. Finn nearly shit his pants the first time he went there and Rory laughed at him but told him he felt the same way when he'd first met them and they weren't even King and Queen then.

"Hi Finn. Come on in," His Pop's voice broke him from his thoughts and Finn walked into the studio with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Sorry. I didn't want to interrupt," He said quietly.

"You're not. We were just taking a break and messing around a bit. We should probably get back to work though. It's after nine and I know you wanted to lay down the first verse and chorus of that song again before we stop for the night," His Pop says to Ozzy

"Yes. I'm ready if you are," Ozzy jumped up and smiled at Finn before heading into the booth and putting the headphones on. His Pop starts up the music and soon, Ozzy is singing.

"He's pretty good, yeah?" His Dad leans in and whispers to him and all Finn can do is nod his head. He was completely transfixed by Ozzy's voice and the gut wrenching lyrics to the song.

She just walked away.  
Why didn't she tell me  
And where do I go tonight  
This isn't happening to me  
This can't be happening to me  
She didn't say a word  
Just walked away

You were the first to say  
That we were not ok  
You were the first to lie  
When we were not alright  
This was my first love  
She was the first to go  
And when she left me for you  
I was the last to know

Why didn't she tell me  
Where do I go tonight  
She didn't say a word  
She just walked away

You were the first to say  
That we were not ok  
You were the first to lie  
When we were not alright  
This was my first love  
She was the first to go  
And when she left me for you  
I was the last to know

There was a break in the lyrics, a small instrumental. Finn figured they'd stop now because his Pop said only the first verse and chorus but they'd already done more than that it seemed. They didn't stop though. Ozzy was clearly in some sort of zone and his Pop must have known not to stop him.

The piano part goes quiet and then the drums get louder and louder until Ozzy starts singing again, the power in his voice taking Finn's breath away.

I'll be the first to say  
That now I'm ok  
And for the first time  
I've opened up my eyes  
This was my worst love  
You'll be the first to go  
And when she leaves you for dead  
You'll be the last to know

I'll be the first to say  
That now I'm ok  
And for the first time  
I've opened up my eyes  
This was my worst love  
You'll be the first to go  
And when she leaves you for dead  
You'll be the last to know

The music stops, his Dad softly curses beside him and Ozzy is breathing heavily inside the booth. His Pop is the first to break the silence, pressing a button that allowed him to talk to Ozzy "That was brilliant Oz. Seriously. You can listen to it back but I don't think we'll have to do it again. I think it's done."

Ozzy lifts his head and smiles wide at his Pop, whatever emotion he was going through a few seconds before, tucked away somewhere. "It felt great. It felt right. I think you might be right."

"Let's pack it in for tonight anyway. We can listen to it on Monday to be sure," His Pop said, starting to shut everything down. Ozzy agrees and steps out of the booth, the tattoo's on his arms on full display thanks to the t-shirt he was wearing. Finn liked them. He liked them a lot.

They all made their way upstairs making idle chit chat when Finn opens his mouth because he apparently has no control over it and asks Ozzy if he needed a ride home.

"Oh. You don't have to do that. I'll call a car. It's how I got here," Ozzy said.

Finn shrugged and stuck his hands down in the pockets of his jeans "I don't mind. I'm not doing anything. I was out for dinner with some friends but I didn't drink anything. I figure a car will take a bit of time to get here. If I drive you, you might get home in time to catch your son before he goes to sleep."

"Oh!" Ozzy's eyes went wide and he looked a bit startled "I never thought of that."

"He makes a good point," His pop chimed in "I was going to offer to drive you home myself if Finn hadn't offered."

"Okay. Yeah. Thanks. I'll take you up on that offer," Ozzy said to him, a smile on his face.

"Yeah. Thanks Finny. With none of our kids home I get to be alone with your Pop," His Dad grinned.

"Oh my God!" Finn looked at his parents, horrified. He could hear Ozzy's deep laugh beside him "Do you ever stop? Like, seriously. It's a good thing neither one of you is a woman or else you'd have a hundred kids by now."

"Nah," His Pop said with a huge smile on his face, his dimples popping in his cheeks "Condoms are our friend, Finny. You should always remember that."

"I hate you. You're both insane!" Finn turned around and stomped to the front door, Ozzy following behind him, laughing. When they got into Finn's car, he was still laughing.

"Your parents are so awesome. Seriously." Ozzy says in between his laughter.

"That's because you're not the one being embarrassed" Finn huffs.

"Aw come on. It's not embarrassing. I think it's cute. They love each other a lot. It's nice. My parents certainly didn't have that," Ozzy said, his tone light even though he was talking about his parents.

"I'm sorry. I know I don't know what happened with your parents but it sounds like nothing good. I didn't mean to make you think about that." Finn said apologetically.

"It's alright. I'm fine. Truly. My Mom met a nice guy after the hell she went through with my Dad. She moved to California when they got married. That's where he lived and worked. She wanted to come home when I told her about Jacob, to take care of him for me but I said no way in hell. She's finally happy. I didn't want her to ruin that because I made a mistake." Ozzy said "It's all good."

Finn nodded and they fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Ozzy spoke again "You can come in if you want. When we get to my apartment. If you want to hang out."

"I don't want to impose on your time with your son," Finn said.

"You're not. If he's not asleep yet he'll be close. I wouldn't be with him for long. After he's asleep we can play video games or watch TV, whatever you want. It's still early for us adults," Ozzy joked.

"If you're sure then okay, I'll come in. Probably better for me to leave my parents to their alone time," Finn managed to crack a smile even though he wanted to cringe.

"They'll be very happy about that, although I'm sure they're not celibate when you're all home anyway," Ozzy said "Not with the way they look at each other."

"Thank you for that. I really needed that pointed out " Finn said dryly, making Ozzy laugh again.

They pulled up to Ozzy's apartment shortly after and Finn whistled as they drove through the gate "This place is gorgeous,"

"It really is," Ozzy nodded "I'm told there are four large apartments here. I guess it's divided like Kensington Palace, just not as big."

"Oh it's definitely not as big as Kensington Palace. When I was a kid and we'd go there, I'd run off and get lost. Prince Harry found me once, outside his apartment and brought me back to his brother's apartment before they even knew I was gone. I was sneaky apparently." Finn said as they got out of the car and walked to Ozzy's door.

"Right. Harry told me the story one time of how he found Niall chatting with The Duchess at a charity event like he did it everyday," Ozzy grinned as he opened the door "Harry said he nearly had a heart attack."

"Yep. Pretty sure my Dad could make friends with a shark."

"I like your Dad. I'd talked to him before when Harry would call me on Skype to check in but this is the first time I've met him. I understand now why Harry talks about him so much. You're really lucky," Ozzy dropped his keys on the table inside the door and led Finn to the living room.

"I am lucky. I know that. I don't take it for granted. I love my parents very much. My siblings as well. Nothing is more important to me," Finn said softly, his throat clogging up a bit as he tried not to become emotional.

"Speaking of family..." Ozzy turned toward the hallway that led to the stairs and Finn saw a woman come in, probably in her late twenties with long brown hair and a kind face. "Hey Kara. Jacob asleep?"

"Not yet," She smiled "I was just about to read to him when I heard you come in. Figured you'd want to do it."

"Definitely. Kara this is my friend Finn. Finn this is my sons nanny, Kara but really she's like a best friend at this point."

"Nice to meet you," Finn shook her hand politely and smiled.

"You as well. Go read to your son, Oz. I'll keep Finn company while you're gone." Kara said.

"Okay. I'll be right back," Ozzy said to Finn as he made his way down the hallway.

"Okay," Kara said once he was gone "I'm going to embarrass myself and get it out of the way. I follow Chelsea, you are brilliant. Holy fuck."

A loud burst of laughter came from Finn that surprised even himself and he slapped his hand over his mouth much like his Pop does so that he doesn't disturb Jacob upstairs. "You're quite direct but thank you. You're a Chelsea fan?"

"Yeah. I have friends who moved here to go to university and they stayed here after graduation. I visit them a lot and they got me into it. There's been a lot of talk about you and I was wondering when you'd appear, then in August there you were! You didn't disappoint either. I don't suppose you'd sign my jersey would you?" She asked, a look of hope on her face.

"I'll do you one better. If you can get away, you can come to the next home match and you can get everyone to sign your jersey," Finn said with a huge smile on his face "Talk it over with Ozzy. I know you take care of Jacob but I'm sure he'll give you time off to see a match."

"Oh my God! Thank you!" She quickly threw her arms around Finn, nearly toppling them both over in the process.

"You're very welcome. It's no trouble. We all get a certain number of tickets for family per match," Finn said.

"What's happening?" Ozzy appeared from the hallway, a look of amusement on his face.

Kara quickly explained everything and Ozzy laughed, telling Finn to get the tickets and she could have the day off for sure, then he turned to Kara and said "Jacob went out like a light pretty quickly. I've got him now. Take the night off and go do whatever you want."

"Don't mind if I do!" She laughed "It's Friday night. I'm sure I can convince my friends to hit a club.

"Sounds good. Just remember if you hook up with somebody, go to his place. Not really something I want Jacob walking in on in the morning."

"Actually, I was planning on bringing someone back here and kicking you out of your bed so I could have my way with him there," Kara says with a serious look on her face.

Ozzy pointed to Kara but looked at Finn "That's what you British people call cheek right?"

"Yes," Finn nodded "That's very cheeky. If my brother wasn't married I'd send you his way."

"I'd be okay with that. He's quite hot. Lucky wife he's got,"

"Oh my God! Go get dressed. You're shameless," Ozzy shooed her off toward the stairs while shaking his head and laughing.

"I like her. She's funny," Finn laughed when she was gone.

"She has her moments," Ozzy said "Have a seat anywhere. What would you like to drink?"

"Do you have beer? One won't hurt,"

"Sure. I'll be right back."

Finn sat down on the couch while he waited for Ozzy. He was gone less than a minute before he was back and Finn had a cold beer in his hand.

"Can I ask you something?" Finn asked, feeling kind of nervous.

"Sure," Ozzy shrugged and took a sip from his bottle.

"Did you write that song you sang? Before we left my house?"

"I did. It was a bit of a process. I started it a year ago as a way to let my feelings out. You can probably tell by some of the lyrics in the beginning that it's about a bad breakup. Like, in the chorus I write 'you were the first to say that we were not okay' and 'this was my first love, you'll be the first to go and when she left me for you I was the last to know' I wrote the verses and first two chorus then I left it alone for months. Then two months ago I went back to it because I finally felt okay. I don't know if you noticed but the last chorus is different than the first one. I say 'I'll be the first to say that now I'm okay and for the first time I've opened up my eyes, this was my worst love, you'll be the first to go, and when she leaves you for dead you'll be the last to know' So it was kind of a cathartic process." Ozzy explained.

"It's amazing. The lyrics are so raw. Like, the first thing I thought was 'shit, someone really fucked him up' sorry if this is hard for you to talk about. We don't have too, just say the word," Finn said quickly, reaching out and putting his hand on Ozzy's knee without even thinking about it.

"It's okay. A year ago it would have been hard but I'm okay now. You're right, by the way, someone fucked me up. I honestly blame myself just as much, to be honest." Ozzy said, a disappointed look on his face.

"But why?" Finn squeezed his knee then pulled his hand back before he could do anything else like run his hand up his thigh or something. That would be a disaster "Like, the lyrics say she left you for someone else?"

"Yeah. I knew her in high school. We lost touch for a bit then I saw her again after 'The Voice' and things kind of sparked. The fact that it was after the show should have been my first clue. Everyone warned me, Harry warned me, that people would try to worm their way into my life now that I'm making a lot of money and I'm famous. I thought it was okay since she knew me and liked me when I had nothing. I was so wrong. She just wanted to travel around for free and fly in fancy planes, stay in fancy hotels. We were together almost two years. I let her get close to my son and then right when I'm in the middle of a tour, she just out of nowhere says 'by the way, I'm fucking your drummer and I'm leaving you for him' no warning, no nothing. I fucking loved her. It completely blindsided me. Needless to say I was a mess and a week of the tour had to be postponed while a new drummer learned the songs. Of course the tabloids had a field day saying I postponed because I was on drugs because of course someone who looks like me must be on drugs" Ozzy stopped talking for a minute and took a long sip of beer.

"Anyway. That's why I wrote the line 'you were the first to say that we were not okay' because as far as I knew we were fucking happy. It was a rough year for me and I was on tour the whole time. In the end it was seeing how many people that came out for my shows and my son that got me through. Then a couple months ago I woke up one day and realized 'you know what? I'm okay.' and I was able to finish the song. The end of the song is kind of a warning to Tommy, my ex drummer, that she'll do the same to him. I actually sent him the lyrics and he wrote back saying she already did then he apologized and begged me to be friends with him again. Too late for that, though. I won't make the same mistake twice. I'm lucky Jacob was so young. He won't remember her. In the future I have to be careful though. I can't let my son get close to someone and get hurt. I have to be sure."

"Jesus. What is wrong with some people?" Finn shook his head in disgust "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Thanks. Lesson learned and all that, right?" Ozzy tipped his bottle back and finished it off, putting the empty bottle on the table "Harry helped get me through it. He called when he saw my shows were postponed and asked what happened. When I told him he flew to New York to see me. You probably remember him going to New York last year."

"I do. I'm glad he did. Pop's good with that kind of thing. He just somehow knows how to make you feel better."

"He really does. He's done so much for me. I wouldn't be here without his constant guidance and advice. His support means the world to me," Ozzy said quietly, looking down at his hands in his lap.

Finn wanted to agree with him but his breath caught in his throat when Ozzy looked up and their eyes met, green on blue. He should look away, stand up and ask to go to the loo. Something. Anything, but he can't. The way Ozzy is looking at him is mesmerizing. The heat and the intensity he saw there nearly took his breath away and he wondered if he was looking at Ozzy the same way. If the feelings he was developing for the older man were obvious there.

"Um," Ozzy cleared his throat and broke the eye contact "Do you want to play some video games? We can play the latest Fifa game. I'm okay with getting my ass kicked."

Finn smiled and and pulled his legs up onto the couch, folding them underneath him "Hey. You never know. Just because I'm good at football with my feet, doesn't mean I'm good with a controller."

"I guess we'll see!" Ozzy smiled like a little kid then jumped off the couch to set everything up.

  
~~~

  
It was after one in the morning when Finn left that night. Ozzy knew the minute he said goodnight and closed the door behind Finn that he was in trouble. He was so attracted to the younger boy. Not just physically either. He was such a good guy. Kind, caring, smart. He fucking loved smart men. Nothing was more attractive than an intelligent man or woman.

He sighed as he walked upstairs, stopping to look in on Jacob. He was fast asleep in his bed with his bear so Ozzy blew him a kiss and quietly left the room to head down the hall to his own room. He closed the door half way and stripped down to his boxers before walking into the en suite to brush his teeth and wash his face. When he was done he walked back out and got into bed and turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness.

"What are you doing, Ozzy?" He whispered to himself. He closed his eyes and tried to take in some slow deep breaths, tried to stop thinking about Finn but his brain didn't want to cooperate. All he could think about were Finn's eyes when they met earlier. How blue they are and how they looked like they were staring deep into his soul. They were the most beautiful eyes he's ever seen and he didn't know how he was going to get them out of his head.

He rolled over onto his side and tried to get comfortable so he could fall asleep. No doubt Jacob would be awake early. Every time he closed his eyes, though, all he could see was Finn. The way he laughed when they were playing video games and Ozzy tried to sabotage him. The way he licked his lips when they got dry. The way his shirt rode up his back when he bent over on the floor to change the video game to a different one, the way his big hands moved over the controller, the way his jeans hugged his ass and thighs. God those thighs. They were so thick, so muscular. He saw them when he went to the match a few weeks ago and his shorts rode up when he reached back to kick the ball. He wanted to be trapped between those thighs. Wanted Finn to straddle him and pin him down with those thighs and kiss him until he couldn't breathe.

"Oh my God," He moaned, reaching into his boxers to grip his half hard cock. This was so wrong. He shouldn't do this. He should jump in a cold shower but it felt so good. Felt so right to wrap a hand around his cock and tug on it slowly, until he became fully hard. "Fuck,"

He quickly grabbed the lube from the drawer and slicked up his hand then gripped his cock again and kept up a slow pace, jerking and flicking his wrist, his eyes closed tight as the sensations took him over. His mind drifted to Finn again, what it would feel like if he were laying right beside him now, watching him jerk off with hooded eyes, whispering in his ear, his accent thicker from his desire. God he could just fucking hear him! Could feel his hard muscled body pressed up against him while he jerked off.

"Fuck!" He whimpered "Fuck he's so hot"

His rolled over onto his back, kicked the blankets off and pulled his boxers down, completely freeing his cock so he could move faster. There was sweat breaking out on his forehead and his breath was coming fast as his hand sped up and he dragged his thumb over the head. He moaned when he felt the burn in his stomach, the heat that meant he was close. He bit down on his lip and moved faster, his hips bucking up, fucking his cock into his fist. He kept pushing up off the bed, driving his cock into his fist over and over and over again until he gasped loudly and came all over his hand.

"Fucking shit," He gasped out, sucking in air like he'd just been under water for two minutes "That was- oh fuck that was good."

It took him five minutes to fully catch his breath and go back into the bathroom to wash his hands and wipe the lube off his dick. When he came back out he put his boxers back on and climbed into the bed. He felt tired now but fuck he was going to hell for this. Definitely going to hell.

  
~~~

  
Over the next week, Finn saw Ozzy four times, all in his Pop's studio. They would invite him in, his Dad too if he was home and let them listen in to the recording. He couldn't get enough of it. Ozzy's voice could start out soft and quiet and then by the middle of the song he's let loose and his voice is booming. It's so powerful and the notes he can hit are incredible, his range is incredible and sometimes Finn is sure Ozzy will pass out from holding a note for so long but he doesn't. He's always fine.

They don't get much time alone but when they do, Finn tells him how incredible he is and how much he loves what he's heard so far. He sees Ozzy blush from the compliments, sees the heat in his eyes when he looks at him and has caught him looking at his lips a few times. He can't be misreading everything. Ozzy must like him too. Now Finn had to figure out what to do with that because he liked Ozzy a lot and it was only getting stronger as each day went by.

For now, he has to put it out of his mind and focus. He's about to head out onto the pitch for his first ever match against Arsenal. His first ever match against his brother. The atmosphere is electric. He can feel the rumble of the crowd overhead as they stomp and sing and scream, waiting for the match to start. It's a big deal for the media. He knows they're saying he'll be the next big superstar in the league, following in his brother's footsteps. He puts it out of his mind though. He only cares about helping his team win and having fun because it might be the only match he plays against his brother. Rory isn't getting any younger.

As soon as they head out onto the pitch, the noise hits him and nearly knocks him back. This is the loudest it's ever been and he knows his family is here somewhere having the time of their lives. He also knows Ozzy and Kara are there with them, Jacob in tow. He wanted to turn around and look over to where they were all sitting but he couldn't. He needed to focus and looking at Ozzy won't let him focus.

He chats with a few of his teammates until he sees the captains head over to the refs. His brother is there, taking part in the coin toss like he always does and then finally, a few short minutes later the whistle blows, the ball is in play, and he's making his way toward the opposing goal, weaving in and out amongst other players, waiting for the ball.

  
~~~

"Niall. I'm going to have a heart attack," Harry yells in Niall's ear as he watches his two sons out on the pitch.

"Why?" Niall looked at him, his eyes full of laughter "This is great! Our two boys playing professional football together."

"I'd prefer if they were on the same team," Harry groaned "One of them could lose this way."

"Or it could be a draw. Relax darlin'. Look at Rory. He's got the biggest smile on his face watching Finn lurking around the goal. He's trying to tell his teammates how to defend against him." Niall laughs gleefully.

Harry looks on and sure enough, Chelsea has the ball and he can just hear Rory yelling at the defenders. When he looks at Finn, he's laughing and yelling something back up the pitch. It's not professional but they're having fun and hopefully the managers will look past it.

At the twenty minute mark, Finn gets a chance with a header but is robbed when the goalkeeper gets his fingertips on it enough to redirect it. The crowd is going insane and Harry looks at Rory to see him smiling wide and looking like the proud older brother. Harry fucking loves his son.

"What do you think of it?" Harry leans down to yell in Ozzy's ear.

"It's brilliant! Even Jacob is enjoying himself and he has no clue what's happening!" Ozzy laughs wildly.

Harry looks next to Ozzy and sure enough, Jacob is there standing on his nanny's lap clapping his hands and shouting, basically copying everybody else "He's so adorable Oz. He's grown so much since I saw him last. I can't wait to get my hands on him later."

"Well he loves attention so have at it!" Ozzy laughs then jumps up when Chelsea almost scores again.

"I guess you're going for Chelsea?" Harry smirks.

Ozzy shrugs and grins sheepishly "Yeah? I've met Finn a bunch of times. I've only met Rory once."

"Fair enough," Harry grinned and turned back to the game. He reached over to Niall and found his hand, linking their fingers together and leaning into his side to ward off the cold. Niall squeezed his hand and lifted their hands up to kiss the back of his hand, all while never taking his eyes off the match. Harry fucking loved him too.

At the thirty-sixth minute, a player goes down after getting kicked and while waiting for play to resume, Harry looks all around him, his eyes welling up with tears at what he sees. Everywhere he looks there are Chelsea fans wearing a Horan jersey and Arsenal fans wearing O'Brien. Harry is so proud of his children. So fucking proud.

The rest of the match goes by pretty quickly and it ends in a nil-nil draw. Finn had some opportunities but the ball just didn't fall his way today. He didn't seem too unhappy about it. After the final whistle blows, Rory jogs straight for Finn and the two brother's embrace right there on the middle of the pitch. Harry starts to cry immediately and Niall holds him tight because he knows, he knows what Harry knows-that Rory was retiring in May. Only Anna, Niall and Harry know about it, along with a few people with the team. At the age of thirty-six he was slowing down now. He was still great but not what he was at the age of twenty and he said he's ready to go now. His dream was to play a match with or against his brother and today that dream came true. Finn doesn't know it yet but that's why Rory is holding him extra tight and extra long, kissing his forehead before finally letting him go.

"They have a special relationship don't they?" Ozzy leans in to ask Harry.

"They do. Rory was seventeen when Finn was born. In a way it's like Finn is his baby you know?" Harry says while wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"Yeah. I do," Ozzy says, staring out at the pitch with a fond smile on his face. Later Harry will look back at that moment and wonder why he didn't see what was happening right before his eyes.

  
~~~

  
Everyone heads to Harry and Niall's house after the match. Obviously Harry, Niall and all their kids, Anna and her and Rory's kids, Anne and Robin, Bobby, Greg and Theo over from Ireland, Maura and Chris, Louis and his wife Jennifer and their kids, Liam and his wife Sophia and their kids, Ozzy, Jacob and his nanny Kara and of course bachelors for life Ed and Nick.

Harry didn't want to have to cook for everybody so he had some food catered and it was a free for all. Everything was laid out in the kitchen and dining room and everyone could get what they wanted when they wanted it.

"Got everything you need, Bobby?" Harry asks, patting his father in law's leg.

"Oh shut up, you. I may be almost eighty but I can probably still run faster than you," Bobby huffs, making Harry smile fondly at the man. The older he gets the more obstinate he gets but Harry wouldn't have him any other way. He adores his grandchildren and has been there for them time and time again.

"Hey! Are you being cranky again grandpa?" Rory comes over and squishes himself in next to Bobby on the couch.

"I am not!" Bobby huffed, reaching out to grab Rory's hand "Good match today my boy. Proud of ya. Didn't know if I'd see the day you and Finn were out there on the pitch together but that day has come and I couldn't be more proud."

"Thank you, grandpa. I love you." Rory said, leaning in to kiss Bobby on the cheek.

"Me too," Bobby said gruffly. "Now get Finnegan over here. I want to see him."

"Yes Sir!" Rory salutes then he's off to find Finn.

Harry rolls his eyes fondly and heads into the kitchen to see if he could find Niall. He does. He's got Matty on one hip and Penny on the other and he's dancing them around to some Irish music, making them squeal in delight. Harry was so in love with him.

"Matty, Penny, want to go see what Uncle Louis is doing? I think he's playing downstairs with your cousins." Harry says, resting a hand on the small of Niall's back. Niall looks at him, confused, but he lets the kids down and sends them off with taps to their bums.

"Come with me please," Harry murmurs in Niall's ear, circling his fingers around Niall's wrist and pulling him up the stairs.

"Harry, what are you doing? I was having fun with our son and granddaughter. They're so cute I-"

Harry cuts Niall off when they get into their bedroom and Harry shuts and locks the door "Shut up Niall."

"Wha-oomph," Niall makes a muffled noise when Harry kisses him and presses him up against the wall. Harry grips his hips in his hands and kisses him hard and fast, his tongue slipping into Niall's mouth and tasting the strawberries that he ate earlier. Niall didn't take long to catch up, matching Harry's tongue stroke for stroke and bucking his hips up into Harry's.

"You're so fit," Harry breaks off and kisses his way down Niall's jaw "Seeing you with our kids and grandkids, seeing how much they love you... God!"

Niall frantically pulled Harry's shirt out of his trousers and started working on the button and zipper "Off. Trousers off. Wanna blow you."

Harry lets out a high pitched whine and releases Niall long enough to get his trousers and boxers off. Niall drops to his knees and immediately grips his arse, turning them around so that Harry is up against the wall "Fuck my mouth, darlin'. We gotta be quick before someone comes looking for us."

"Not a problem," Harry panted "I'm so turned on right now, I'm about to explode like a fucking teenager."

"Fuck. Jesus Harry," Niall curses, then he's hollowing his cheeks and taking Harry down his throat, getting him slick with his spit "Come on, darlin'. Want your cock. Fuck my mouth."

Harry isn't about to argue. He starts snapping his hips, his cock moving in and out of Niall's mouth at a fast pace. Niall took it easily, a pro after twenty-four years together. His nails dug into Harry's arse and all Harry could think about was looking at the marks later tonight in the full length mirror.

"Baby. I love you so much. God I fucking adore you," Harry knows he's babbling but he doesn't care. At this point there was nothing he could do to embarrass himself in front of Niall. They were way past that.

Niall pulls off to breathe, his cheeks red and his eyes watering "Harry," He gasps "God, Harry."

Harry agrees. God someone. Anyone. Just-goddddd.

Niall takes Harry's cock back into his mouth and Harry tips his head back, closing his eyes and whimpering. He opens his eyes just in time to see Niall wiggle his narrow hips out of his trousers and boxers , and take a hold of his own leaking cock to jerk himself off.

"Fuck!" Harry cursed and without warning he came inside Niall's mouth, Niall's throat working fast to swallow it all.

When he's finished coming, he slides down the wall and pushes Niall back so that he topples over onto his arse. Harry climbs on top of him and kisses him senseless while jerking him off with his large hand. Niall is getting close, so close, Harry can tell and just before he lets go, Niall digs his teeth into Harry's shoulder, muffling his long, low moan as he releases.

"Well," Harry says when they've caught their breath "That was definitely fun."

Niall cracks up laughing and manages to roll out from under Harry so he can climb to his feet and get a wet cloth from the bathroom. He cleans the both of them up then they both get redressed and sit on the edge of the bed, staring at each other "We're fucking ridiculous!

Harry lets out a hearty laugh and nods his head in agreement "We definitely are."

  
~~~

  
After chatting with his grandpa, Finn heads downstairs where apparently his uncle Lou was entertaining the younger kids in the game room. He's not surprised considering his uncle was like an overgrown child ninety percent of the time.

When he reaches the game room and walks in, of course the first person he sees is Ozzy. He walks over to stand next to him and realizes this might be the first time he meets Ozzy's son, Jacob. "Hey. How is everything going?"

"Really well actually. Jacob loves playing with your brothers. Thank you for having us here. I know it's a special day for you guys. It was nice to be a part of it," Ozzy smiled.

"I think it's safe to say we're all happy to have you," Finn says sincerely "Your son is pretty cute. His hair is so blonde it's almost white. I think I was expecting a dark haired little boy."

"Well," Ozzy's teeth bit down on his lip ring, sending Finn's heart into palpitations "That's because I'm a natural blonde."

"No way?!?!" Finn's eyebrows shoot up and he looks at Ozzy incredulously "Wow! I can't picture you as a blonde."

Ozzy chuckled and took his phone out of his pocket. He heads into his photo app and opens up a particular album then hands his phone to Finn "There ya go."

Finn takes the phone and smiles wide at the picture. Ozzy looked no more than ten years old and he was smiling a crooked smile at the camera and his hair was indeed very blonde "Look at you with your crooked teeth and blonde spikey hair. So cute!"

"Oh sod off!" Ozzy says, then he breaks out into laughter "See? I'm turning British already.

Finn snorts with laughter, handing Ozzy back his phone and looking at the older man gleefully "British phrases with a Brooklyn accent. Not sure the world is ready for that yet."

Anna walked into the room with drinks for her kids and Finn stopped laughing long enough to smile at her then he signed "Hey Anna Banana! How's everything going? Have you met Ozzy?"

"Hi Finny," Anna said, bending down to hand out the cups of juice, then standing up again and looking at Finn and Ozzy "Everything is great. No I haven't met Ozzy yet but your Pop says only good things about him."

Ozzy snorts and holds his hands up, starting to sign and completely shocking Finn and Anna "He only talks me up because I won 'The Voice' and he got bragging rights over Ed, Taylor and Zayn."

"You sign?" Finn says and signs at the same time, the shocked look still on his face.

"I do," Ozzy signed for Anna's benefit "I had a friend who was deaf when I was a kid. Unfortunately he moved away and we lost touch. I still remember how to sign though. Oddly enough. I guess I used to sign so much it became muscle memory or something."

"Another amazing thing I've learned about you. Does it ever end?" Finn jokes and both boys miss the raised eyebrow look that Anna gives them before she gets distracted by her kids.

"I guess you'll have to find out," Ozzy shrugs, a playful smile on his face "Want to meet Jacob?"

"Absolutely. Let's meet this little boy," Finn says happily.

"Jakey can you come over here for a minute please?" Ozzy calls to his son, bending down so he can be at eye level with him.

The boy comes over immediately, a huge grin on his face "Hi Papa!! What's up?"

Oh God. Finn is going to die he's so cute.

"I want you to meet my friend. His name is Finn and he's Charlie and Matty's big brother," Ozzy says. He's got one arm around his son and is gently rubbing his back with his hand.

"Hi Finn! Matty and Charlie say your name is Finny. Can I say that too?" The small boy asks, clearly not one bit shy.

"You can absolutely call me Finny. Most of my family does sometimes," Finn bends down to talk to Jacob face to face.

"Cool," The little boy nods "You wanna play with us?"

"Do I want to play?" Finn pretend scoffed "Of course I want to play!"

"Okay! Come on! You too Papa!" Jacob yells as he runs back to Matty and Charlie.

Finn and Ozzy share a fond look, like they're too proud parents or something. Yeah. Finn is definitely fucked.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 3. I hope everyone enjoys it. Things start to happen a bit in the story now.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has been reading so far and thank you especially to T who is a very loyal reader of my stories and has always left me such great comments. Some of the ideas in this story are sparked by things she has said to me so she deserves all the credit for that :)
> 
> Enjoy the chapter everyone!

 

 

 

 

By the time the twentieth of December rolls around, Finn has spent a lot of time with Ozzy. They exchanged numbers so they could text each other and now their days were spent texting back and forth and sending ridiculous selfies. Finn also watched him record sometimes whenever he was home. He could sit for hours and listen to Ozzy singing. His voice was beautiful and full of so much emotion, it gave Finn goosebumps sometimes. Then in the evenings after Jacob went to bed, Finn would hang out at Ozzy's flat where they talked for hours about their lives, Ozzy's music and Finn's football. They learned a lot about each other and were great friends because of it but Finn didn't want to be friends, he wanted more. He really, really liked Ozzy and unless he was really stupid, Ozzy liked him too. The signals were all there and Finn definitely wasn't stupid.

He didn't know what to do about it. Technically he didn't even know for sure if Ozzy liked men but he must, if the way he stared at Finn's arse and his lips had anything to do with it. So he wants to make a move but he's also not keen on rejection or making a fool of himself either.

So he decides to talk it over with Rory and see what he says. Maybe all he needs is a boost of confidence.

He goes to Rory's house on a Wednesday afternoon. They both had practice in the morning but Rory said he'd be home afterward and Anna and the kids would be at work or school so it was the perfect time.

"Finny!!" Rory yelled happily when Finn let himself into his brother's house and walked into the living room "Look at our Christmas tree! Isn't it beautiful? Took us a few days to decorate but we got it done on the weekend. The kids love it."

"Really? The kids? I think you love it more. Your eyes are lit up more than that tree!" Finn laughed at the giddy look on his brothers face.

"Oh shut up! You know I love Christmas. My first Christmas with Dad and Pop was the best Christmas of my life. I got to meet all of our grandparents for the first time and Aunt Gemma and Uncle Greg. Mam was there too. The only Christmas I got to spend with her and Dad together." Rory said with a fond smile.

"Yeah. I've seen the pictures. I'd be jealous if every Christmas growing up wasn't the same thing" Finn shook his head, laughing.

"Anyway. I made a plate of sandwiches for lunch. I'll bring it in here. No need for us to eat in the kitchen. You want water?" Rory asked.

"Yes please," Finn said, then shrugged out of his jacket, throwing it over the arm of the couch.

"Okay. Here we go!" Rory came back a minute later and tossed him a bottle of water, then laid a plate full of different sandwiches on the table. He picked up a turkey one to start.

"Do you remember a month or so ago when I said I liked this guy I only met twice and how that's unusual for me?" Finn got right to it.

"Yes. I do remember. Anything happening with that?" Rory asked after he swallowed a bite of his ham sandwich.

"Yeah," He sighed "I like him. I really, really like him. We've spent a lot of time together and I've gotten to know him pretty well. He's- he's exactly what I want in a partner. We like the same things, we want the same things in the future, we understand each other, we have so much fun together, we never run out of things to talk about, he's kind and sweet, he-"

"Whoa!" Rory held up a hand to stop him from talking, a smirk on his face "Sounds like you're half in love with him already."

"Maybe I am," Finn shrugged "I've never been in love before. I don't know what it feels like."

"You'll know when it happens, Finny. Trust me," Rory said.

"I do trust you," Finn nodded "That's why I need you to tell me what to do."

"Oh little brother. I learned the hard way that the world doesn't work that way. I wanted Dad and Pop to tell me what to do so many times during the four years Anna and I spent apart. They couldn't though. I had to make my own decisions, live my own life. It fucking sucked," Rory huffed "I can tell you that you should follow your heart. Do what feels right, because if you don't you might end up regretting it. Life's too short to waste time. Be happy while you can."

"I get it," Finn said, slumping back on the couch and letting out a long breath "I get what you're saying. I even agree with it, I just- what if I make a move and he rejects me? Like, technically I don't even know if he likes men. I've not heard him say it outright."

"But...?"

"But I've seen the way he looks at me. I've caught him more than once checking out my arse when I'm bent over for whatever reason. I've seen how he smiles fondly at me sometimes and he's practically gone cross eyed while staring at my lips. I've had to repeat myself a few times sometimes because he's just staring and not listening to me," Finn smiles sheepishly "I can't be misreading this."

"Aww," Rory squishes Finn's lips together with a thumb and forefinger on each cheek "And what gorgeous lips you have, Finny. All pretty and pink."

"Oh fuck off!" Finn laughs, shoving his brothers hand off his face.

"I think it's pretty safe to say he likes you, too. Or is at least very attracted to you. At the very least you could get some casual sex out of this anyway," Rory said with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Rory!" Finn shoved his brothers shoulder, sending him toppling over onto his side "There's more to life than just sex."

"Yeah but it's so much fun isn't it?" Rory said with a cheeky grin.

"Oh my God!" Finn broke out into a fit of giggles and he couldn't stop "Do you- do you realize who you sound like?"

Rory screwed his face up a bit, trying to figure out what Finn is talking about. When he does, his eyes go comically wide and he breaks out into laughter of his own "Oh my God! I sound like Dad and Pop."

"They're sex crazed, Rory. I'm telling you. They go off sometimes and I swear they come back with sex hair." Finn scoffed.

"I know. I lived in that house too, ya know. They were like giddy teenagers then and they're still the same now," Rory smiled fondly "All joking aside, it's nice isn't it? I want to be like that when I'm fifty-one."

"I don't think Dad realizes he's fifty-one. You should have seen him dancing around the other day while putting up decorations."

"You and I have Dad to thank for our fabulous dancing skills. If we danced like Pop we'd probably knock somebody out with the way he flings his arms around everywhere." Rory grinned.

"God. We completely got off topic," Finn groaned.

"Right. Look Finny, you won't know anything for sure until you do something. Ask him out or when he's staring at your lips, start moving in to kiss him and see if he pulls away or let's you keep coming. There's no other way except to sit back and wait for him to make a move and if he's thinking the same thing then neither one of you will make a move and you'll never know what could have been. Rejection is scary but it's a part of life. If that's what ultimately happens, I promise you, you'll get through it and someone else will come along eventually that you like just as much," Rory said, sliding an arm across Finn's shoulders and pulling him into his side "You know I'm here for you either way. No matter what. I love you."

Finn cuddled into Rory's side and pressed his face into his jumper. He smelled the familiar scent of his body wash and cologne and couldn't help but smile "I love you, too, bro."

  
~~~

  
Ozzy finishes packing his last bag and puts it in the corner of the room to bring downstairs in the morning. He, Jacob and Kara were heading back to New York for two weeks for Christmas and they had an early flight so he wanted to make sure he had everything ready for the morning. No last minute running around.

Once he was done, he went downstairs to let Kara leave so she could spend the evening with her friends here in London. They were exchanging gifts and probably having a few drinks. Ozzy was okay with that. Kara deserved to go out and have fun. He could take care of Jacob for the night and in the morning when they head to the airport. Truth be told, he liked taking care of Jacob himself as much as he could. He didn't care how famous and busy he got, he was going to remain as normal as possible.

Five minutes later, he and Jacob said goodnight to Kara then the two of them sat together on the couch with a kids show on the TV. He loved these quiet times with his son. When he could put Jacob on his lap and cuddle him without him squirming every two seconds. He could sit there forever just taking in the sweet smell of his baby boy and running his fingers through his hair.

Of course the downside of the quiet this time is that his mind wandered to Finn. He couldn't stop thinking about the younger boy. He even dreamt about him and it was slowly driving him insane. In just six weeks he wanted this boy like he's never wanted anyone else in his life. He liked him so damn much and his heart ached because he couldn't do anything about it.

Speaking of Finn, he was due to stop by any minute. He was coming to hang out for a bit and say goodbye to him and Jacob before they headed home to New York for a bit. He was happy Finn was coming over. He was going to miss him while he was home. Despite everything he felt for the boy, they had become good friends and he genuinely liked talking to him and spending time with him.

Ten minutes later, when the doorbell rang, Ozzy kissed the top of his sons head and sat him down in the corner of the couch to watch his show while he went to answer the door.

"Hey." Ozzy smiled when he answered the door "Come on in out of the cold."

Finn grinned at him and stepped through the doorway, the smell of his cologne reaching Ozzy's nose and making him want to bury his nose against Finn's neck "Hi. Alright?"

"Yeah. Just hanging out with my little man. Kara has the night off so she's at her friends place exchanging gifts and probably having a small party or something." Ozzy explained as he led Finn into the apartment.

"Speaking of gifts, I got a little something for Jacob. I hope that's okay?" Finn asked with a hopeful look on his face.

Dear Jesus was this man trying to kill him? Getting a Christmas present for his son? Ozzy didn't know if his heart could take it. He already liked Finn a hell of a lot. This only made him want to grab the younger boy and kiss him senseless.

"No," Ozzy's voice sounded rough so he cleared his throat before continuing "No, I don't mind at all. You didn't have to get him anything but I don't mind that you did."

"Great!" Finn smiled widely, then they walked into the living room where Jacob was still sitting on the couch watching his show "Hi Jacob!"

Jacob's head spun toward the doorway, his eyes widened and his face broke out into the biggest grin Ozzy had ever seen. Fuck his life right now "Hi Finny!!" Jacob scrambled to push himself off the couch, his little legs unable to reach the floor. Ozzy makes a move to help him but he manages to push himself down and comes running toward Finn "Did you come to play??"

Finn dropped to his knees so he was at eye level with Jacob, then he held up his hand for a high five. Jacob giggles and gives Finn a very hearty high five, making him grin even wider than he already was "If you want to play then I definitely came to play with you."

"Yay!" Jacob yelled, bouncing up and down where he stood.

"In fact I know the perfect game we can play but in order to do that you have to open the Christmas present I brought for you," Finn says, producing a large gift bag from behind his back.

Jacob lets out a huge shriek and then he's diving into the gift bag, pulling paper out left and right until he gasps and hauls a soccer ball from the bag. It looks exactly like the balls they use in professional games except it's soft, not hard. Perfect for a four year old little boy.

"Thank you!! Thank you, Finny!" Jacob screams, dropping the ball and flinging himself at Finn. Finn laughs and wraps his arms around him, lifting him up and spinning him around a few times until they're both giggling.

"You're very welcome, Jacob," Finn says when he puts Jacob back down on the floor.

"This is so cool! It's like when me and Papa saw you play. You had a ball the same as this one!" Jacob grabbed his new ball and held it up in front of him "Right Papa? It's the same?"

"Yeah buddy. It's exactly the same," He said, smiling at his son. "How about you and Finn start playing in here and I'm going to get us some drinks. What would you like?"

"Apple Juice!!" Jacob screamed "Please."

"I'd love some apple juice, too," Finn said with a smirk on his face.

"Okay. Two apple juice coming right up " He said before making his way, quickly, to the kitchen. He needed a minute. He needed to get out for a minute. Watching Finn with his son was making him swoon like a teenage girl who just got asked to prom by her crush. Finn is incredible with kids and because Ozzy is a big, giant sap, he can't handle it.

He took his time pouring up the apple juice, putting Jacob's in a sippy cup so he doesn't spill it all over the floor, then he gathered himself and took a deep breath before he went back into the living room where his son was playing with Finn.

When he gets back he sees that Finn had pushed the coffee table out of the way to make the already large space even bigger. Then he's used different objects to make a goal on either side of the room and he was showing Jacob how to kick the ball using the side of his foot. Ozzy stood back and watched the two of them playing around with the ball, both of them almost giggling too hard to do anything. He can't help the smile that comes across his face when he watched them. They both had ear to ear grins on their faces and Jacob's little cheeks were red from running around and laughing so much. He was pretty sure his heart was about to explode from fondness.

"I scored! I scored! I beat you!" Jacob screamed when he kicked the ball through the goal. The look of pure joy on his face in this very moment, Ozzy will never forget for as long as he lives.

"Nooooo!" Finn fell onto the floor, spreading himself out like a starfish and throwing an arm over his face "You beat me! You're too good!"

Jacob, of course found this hilarious and decided to jump on top of Finn, his little body shaking with laughter. Finn took his arm away from his face to smile up at Jacob then he dug his fingers into his sides and started tickling him, Jacob's loud shrieks of laughter filling the room. Ozzy lets it go on for a minute, lets them roll around on the floor, before he steps in and puts a stop to it.

"Alright! Alright! Come on you two. Have an apple juice break before the both of you get overheated." Ozzy called out, loud enough to be heard over their laughter.

Finn wrapped his arms around Jacob and kissed the top of his head before he sits up and pushes himself to his feet, all while never letting go of the little boy. Ozzy couldn't help but stare at them. They were so cute together and Ozzy would be lying if he said he didn't think about having Finn in his and Jacob's life permanently. Finn was everything he was looking for in a partner, not only for himself but for his son as well. There's no doubt in his mind that Finn would treat Jacob like his own son and help Ozzy raise him and give him the best life possible. That made everything hurt so much more and he had to struggle to keep control of his emotions while in the presence of Finn and his son. There would be time later when he was alone to get emotional.

"Apple juice was my favourite when I was a kid," Finn says after he takes a long drink from his glass "I think it's all I drank for awhile."

Ozzy chuckled "Then you have something in common with this one. He loves apple juice, don't you Jakey?"

"Mmhmm, it's yummy," Jacob said, smacking his lips together after taking a drink from his sippy cup.

"Seriously, he's so cute. I can't wait for my parents new baby to get here. The twins are growing up too fast. I like having a baby around." Finn said fondly.

"Yeah, I can tell. You'll be a really great father some day. I have no doubt about it," Ozzy said quietly, his eyes never leaving Finn's. Finn stared back at him and something passed between them, he could feel it there, burning under the surface, and he knew Finn was attracted to him too, knew he felt the electricity between them. He wanted so desperately to close the gap between them and kiss Finn with everything he's got but he couldn't. He had to get a hold of himself.

Eventually their apple juice break ended and Ozzy joined Finn and Jacob playing soccer in the middle of the living room. They had so much fun, all three of them didn't stop laughing for a minute and Ozzy very nearly tripped and brained himself on the table when the thought struck him that they were acting exactly like a family. He managed to catch himself and hopefully hide the shock on his own face and he thinks it worked because the smile never dropped from Finn's face the whole time and he never looked at Ozzy in a funny way.

By nine o'clock, they had stopped playing and Jacob was practically falling asleep on his feet so Ozzy excused himself and brought him upstairs to get him ready for bed. The process didn't take long tonight. Ozzy practically had to brush Jacob's teeth for him and dress him in his pajama's and when he laid him in bed and pulled the covers up the little boy snuggled into his pillow and fell right to sleep, not needing or wanting a story on this night.

After closing the bedroom door half way, Ozzy quietly went back downstairs, stopping at the bottom when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was a text from Finn which was confusing since he was sitting right there in Ozzy's living room.

"Hey. I just got a text from you," Ozzy walked into the living room and gave Finn a confused look.

"Yes. I know. I just sent it." Finn smiled at him "It's sort of a Christmas present for you."

"What?" Ozzy frowned, immediately feeling bad because Finn got him a Christmas present, got his son a present and Ozzy hadn't gotten him anything. They only knew each other for six weeks. The thought never occurred to him to get Finn a present.

"Relax. I can practically see the wheels turning in your head," Finn laughed, his eyes bright.

"I just- I didn't- I wasn't thinking-" Ozzy stuttered.

"It's okay. I don't want anything. I didn't even really get you anything. I didn't spend any money on it and honestly I would have done this any time of the year, it just happens to be close to Christmas right now," Finn explained.

"Okay. What is it? It looks like some sort of file." Ozzy asked, still feeling a bit bad but also now feeling overwhelmed because Finn was thinking about him and thought to do something for him and it was really tugging at his heart strings.

"It's an audio file. Remember when we were talking a couple weeks ago and we were talking about how you were influenced by a lot of music that was released long before either of us was born?" Ozzy nodded "Well when you said you were a fan of the grunge era in the nineteen nineties, I remembered that my dad was a huge fan of that era as well and for his birthday the year before they got married, Pop surprised him by getting a hold of unreleased Nirvana tracks. See, Pop met Dave Grohl when Dave brought his kids to one of Pop's concerts in Seattle. So Pop called him and asked if there was anything floating around that hadn't been released. Of course there always is. Pop has a ton of songs he recorded but never put on an album. They just didn't make the cut. The same is true of every band or singer. You know that obviously," Finn rolled his eyes at himself "Anyway Dave said a bunch of stuff existed but he didn't have the rights to it. Apparently a lot of stuff was caught up in Kurt Cobain's estate but...that hadn't stopped Dave from sneaking copies of everything when Kurt died and the shit hit the fan. Nobody knew he had it of course and as long as Pop promised to keep it secret, he didn't mind copying everything and sending it to Pop."

"Oh my God," Ozzy's jaw dropped "Are you telling me-?"

Finn nodded his head slowly, a slow smile spreading across his gorgeous face "Yep. Dad and Pop don't know but I copied everything for you and that's what's in the file. You can download it all on your phone. Obviously you can't tell anyone. People would probably get sued left and right but I know I can trust you so..."

"You-I-I can't-holy fuck! Finn!" Ozzy lunged at the younger boy, throwing his arms around him and sending him toppling down onto his back on the couch with Ozzy on top of him. He's not even thinking when he kisses Finn's cheeks and all over his face while repeatedly muttering "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

When he's out of breath and lifts his head, he comes face to face with Finn and the moment their eyes meet, everything stops. He can no longer hear the low murmur of the TV, or the sound of his heavy breathing as he tried to catch his breath. There's only Finn and the intensity in his eyes when he looks at him and before he knows what's happening, they're both moving forward until their foreheads are pressed together and their lips are only an inch apart, their breaths mingling. Ozzy closes his eyes and tries to fight the pain in his heart right now.

"We-we can't do this, Finn," He whispers into Finn's lips "We can't."

He feels air brush across his lips as Finn blows out a breath and when he opens his eyes, Finn is looking right back at him, his eyes the bluest Ozzy has ever seen. "Why not? I'm not reading this wrong. I know I'm not. You like me too."

Ozzy can't help himself when he pulls back far enough to brush a thumb over Finn's cheek. Then with an apologetic smile on his face, he climbs off of Finn and sits himself at the other end of the couch "We can't do this."

Finn sits up slowly and Ozzy can't bear to see the look on his face so he stares straight ahead, trying to keep his breathing even "I heard what you said the first time. That still doesn't tell me why."

"Fuck," Ozzy cursed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger "Finn I- you know you're a great guy, I-"

"No. Don't lie to me please. I don't deserve that. Don't give me the 'you're great but I don't feel the same' speech because I won't believe it. I see the way you look at me. I know you like me. Now I just want to know why we can't do this?" Finn asked calmly.

"I'm sorry," Ozzy whispered, wishing he could sound as calm as Finn does.

"I don't want apologies, Ozzy! I just want the truth." Finn said firmly.

Ozzy lifted his head and finally looked at Finn. He wished he hadn't because while he sounded calm, he didn't look calm. Ozzy could see the hurt in his eyes and he hated himself for putting it there "I do like you. I like you so much but I can't- I can't do that to Harry."

" _My Pop?!?!_ "Finn looks incredulous "What the fuck does he have to do with this?"

"Everything!" Ozzy stands up, pacing in front of the couch exasperated "He has everything to do with it. You're his son and I can't just come here and let him welcome me into his home and his life only for me to turn around and-and start something with his son. He's done so much for me. He's done everything for me. He helped me start my music career, he guides me every step of the way, he treats me like a son, Finn. He trusts me. I can't do that to him."

"Ozzy. Pop loves you. Don't you think he'd be happy to have you in my life? Wouldn't he rather I date someone he knows he can trust instead of a stranger who might only be after my money or whatever? You're overthinking things," Finn tries to assure him.

"You can't know that for sure. He might feel betrayed. He might feel like he invited me into his home and then I took advantage of his teenage son!" Ozzy half yelled.

"You're acting like I'm fourteen! I'm eighteen, I'll be nineteen in two weeks. I'm not some innocent little virgin, trust me, and he knows that. He won't feel betrayed."

"You can't know that for sure. You can't!" Ozzy sounds desperate now. He can hear it.

"You know my Pop. He's the calmest most gentle person I know. He's not going to be mad at us or feel betrayed, Ozzy "

"He's the nicest guy I know, Finn, except when it comes to his children. He's absolutely fierce when it comes to all of you. I'm pretty sure he'd murder someone in cold blood to protect all of you. I can't do this to him. I just can't." He was close to tears now, he could feel it. He could hear it in his own voice.

Finn doesn't say anything after that. They're both quiet. The only sound in the room coming from the TV. Ozzy hates it immediately. He hates everything. He's breaking this boys heart and breaking his own in the process. He's probably going to lose Finn as a friend as well and truth be told, he's the best friend Ozzy's had in a long time.

"Please don't be mad." He begged quietly "I don't want to hurt you."

Finn stood up slowly and picked his jacket up from the arm of the couch and slowly started to pull it on "I'm not mad. How can I be bad when you're putting your own feelings aside for my Pop? Because you respect him so much? I can't be mad at that. I wish I was though. Maybe it would make all of this easier."

"Are you leaving? Please don't leave like this. I don't- we're friends aren't we? We've been friends for the past six weeks. Good friends." God he was sounding frantic now. Probably making a fool of himself.

"We are friends. I just don't know if- it would be different if I told you how I felt and you just didn't feel the same way. I could eventually get over you and we could be friends but I don't know if I can be friends with you, knowing you like me just as much and we just can't do anything about it. It would be too hard for me I think. Seeing you all the time like that, knowing I can't have you, then watching you date someone else and fall in love with someone else- I can't do that." Finn said sadly, his eyes filling up like he was about to cry at any moment.

"Finn-"

"Please," Finn said quietly, his throat working as he swallows back his emotions "I respect your decision. Please respect mine. It's what's best in the end."

Ozzy stood frozen in place, unable to say a word as Finn zipped up his jacket and turned to leave. Before he got to the living room entrance he turned back around and smiled a sad smile "Take care, yeah? Keep doing what you're doing with Jacob. He's a truly beautiful little boy. I hope you both have a good Christmas."

Ozzy opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out and then all he could see was Finn's back as he disappeared around the corner. A moment later he heard the door close behind him.

"God," Ozzy breathed in deep, trying to suppress the pain that was rising in his chest. He couldn't, no matter how many breaths he took and before he knew it all the hurt and pain was bubbling over and he was bent over at the knees, struggling to breathe as the tears spilled over onto his cheeks "Finn. God Finn."

Eventually his sobs quieted down to silent crying and he was able to take some deep breaths. He slowly climbed the stairs to his bedroom and crawled into bed alone. He tries not to think about the fact that Finn could be here with him, in his arms fast asleep. He tries not to think about Finn at all. Not his smile, his eyes, the way the ends of his hair curl at the nape of his neck, the way he laughed, the way he bit his lip when you asked him something important and he really took his time to make sure he gave you the best answer he could. He tries not to think about Finn at all and yet he's the only thing he thinks about as he finally falls into a fitful sleep.

 

~~~

  
Finn keeps to himself over the next couple of days. He doesn't have another match until the twenty-sixth and the team was given a few extra days off so everyone can enjoy Christmas with their families, so he keeps busy, or pretends to keep busy so that he doesn't have to be home where his Dad and Pop can look at him and figure out something is wrong.

He finishes his Christmas shopping, exchanges gifts with his friends, but other than that he just wanders around a lot, walking for hours in central London, sitting in coffee shops just thinking and passing the time, not wanting to go home and have to explain to his parents why he's upset.

He has four days to compose himself before its Christmas Eve and chaos erupts on the house. They always have a huge crowd for Christmas including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends. So Finn had to make sure to act like his normal self even though he felt numb inside.

Of course he didn't fool Rory and sometime after dinner while their Dad and Bobby are half singing half laughing their way through an Irish song, Rory catches Finn's eye and tilts his head a bit toward the stairs, indicating that he wanted Finn to follow him up. He did and he found Rory waiting for him in his bedroom when he got there.

"You okay, kid?" Rory sits on the bed and looks at Finn worriedly

"Not really but life goes on right?" Finn shrugged and joined Rory on the bed.

"What happened? Does this have to do with the guy you like?" Rory asked. Finn was silent. "Oh shit. He didn't feel the same way?"

"Worse. He feels the same way but he won't do anything about it," Finn sighed.

"What?" Rory put a hand on Finn's knee and squeezed gently "That doesn't make sense, Finny."

"It does. It's Ozzy," Finn says simply, hunching his shoulders and leaning over to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Ozzy Peters? He's the guy you like? He likes you back?" Rory asks, totally shocked.

"Yeah. We've been spending a lot of time together. He's amazing. Everything I want and I can't have him," Finn says, then he starts laughing humourlessly "It's like one of those fucking films Pop loves and Dad secretly loves."

"I don't understand? Why can't you have him? Usually when two people really like each other they end up in a relationship." Rory furrows his brow as he tries to figure it out.

"He said he can't do that to Pop. He said Pop has been there for him and become like a father to him. He feels like he'd be betraying Pop by starting something with me because Pop invited him here and into our house. He thinks Pop will see it as him taking advantage of me. He doesn't want to hurt Pop that way and cause issues between me and Pop and him and Pop. I told him it's crazy. Pop loves him. He'd be so happy if I ended up with someone like Ozzy."

Rory nodded slowly, his bottom lip pinched between his thumb and forefinger while he thought things over "I knew I liked that kid."

" _What_??"Finn lifted his head up and whipped it around to look at Rory "What are you on about?"

"Finny, he thinks he's doing the right thing. He's ignoring what he wants in favour of doing what he thinks is right. Not a lot of people would do that. Anyone else might have said to hell with Pop and had you in their bed in ten seconds flat. That shows a lot about his character, his integrity. I like that." Rory said.

"Well I already know he's wonderful for fuck's sake!" Finn huffed.

"I know. I was just trying to say he thinks he's doing what's right and maybe he is? I think Pop would be okay with you two as well but we don't know that for sure? He's a few years older than you and Pop trusts him. If he found out you two were sleeping together he could very well react badly and it could ruin your relationship with him," Rory explained softly.

"We're not sleeping together. I wish we were sleeping together," Finn muttered.

"I was being hypothetical. Just trying to make you understand his side," Rory said.

"I know. The thing is, I do understand and I told him that. I told him I couldn't be mad at him for respecting Pop. I didn't fight him. It's his decision and I respect that. I also told him I didn't think we could be friends anymore, at least not for awhile. It's too hard knowing he wants what I want but he won't do anything about it. It would be too hard for me to see him and I know that's the right decision for me but it feels so wrong. It hurts more than anything I've ever felt in my life. I miss talking to him everyday, seeing him everyday. I know the pain would be ten times worse if we stayed friends and I had to watch him fall in love with someone else. Either way it hurts for me. Sometimes it feels like I can't breathe." Finn admits quietly.

"Hey," Rory slipped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in against his chest "I know. I get it. I felt like I couldn't breathe when Anna moved to New York. Then it felt like I just stopped breathing all together when we broke up. I'm not going to lie and say you'll feel better tomorrow or even the next day but you will feel better and until you do, I'll be here for whatever you need."

"I need it not to hurt so much," Finn whispered as the first tear slipped down his cheek.

"I know." Rory held him tighter and kissed his head "I know. I love you, Finny. I'm so sorry."

"I love you, too, Rory. You're the best ya know?"

"Yeah," Rory sighed "I know"

Finn broke out into giggles.

 

~~~

  
"Niall?" Harry whispered at two o'clock in the morning on Christmas Day.

"Mm?" Niall murmured into his pillow "What?"

"We're having a baby in four months," Harry says.

Niall lay on his stomach, completely still for a full minute before he rolled over onto his side and looked up at his husband who was sitting up with his back against the headboard and an I-Pad on his lap. "I didn't know that, Harry. Thank you for letting me know. At two in the morning. When the twins will probably wake us up in four hours."

"Nialllll," Harry whined, his face only slightly illuminated by the light from the I-Pad screen "We have to think of a name."

"We have to-? Harry. I repeat. Twins. Wake up. Four hours." Niall looks at his husband like he just sprouted horns on his head.

"Yes. I know. I don't care when they wake us up. I'll sleep when I'm dead."

"Oh you will, will you? Well some of us humans like to sleep when we're alive as well. Ya know, so we can function in our day to day lives?" Niall says sarcastically.

"Come on, Niall. Please?" Harry pouted "I'll ride you when we're done."

"I'm sorry but I think you're missing the part where I keep saying I want to sleep," Niall says.

"So you don't want me to ride you?" Harry quirked an eyebrow.

"I always want you to ride me," Niall reached over and removed the I-pad from Harry's lap, then pulled Harry down so he could curl into his side, throwing one leg over both of Harry's "Maybe not when we have two six year olds going to wake up at the crack of dawn to open presents."

"Yeah," Harry snorted out a laugh "Things definitely aren't how they were twenty years ago. Remember our very first Christmas together as a couple? We stayed at my house and-"

"-we spent the whole night in the living room with the Christmas Tree lights on. It all started when I got out of the shower and came downstairs to find you laying under the tree with nothing but a big red bow covering your cock. Best present I've ever found under the tree." Niall grinned.

"As I recall, you had quite a bit of fun playing with your present," Harry remembered fondly as he pressed a kiss to Niall's head.

"Then we had our own house together the next year and I do believe we spent Christmas Eve under that Christmas Tree didn't we? Then our families came the next day." Niall said.

"Then just a couple of years later we were married and having our first Christmas with Rory. That was amazing wasn't it? First Christmas with our son. Now we get to have Christmas with his three beautiful children every year. No matter how many years go by, I can't believe how lucky we are. I love our family so much," Harry whispered "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, darlin'." Niall pressed a kiss to Harry's bare chest.

"You can go back to sleep now, baby." Harry ran his fingers through Niall's hair slowly "I'm sorry I woke you."

Niall goes quiet for so long, Harry thinks he's already fallen back to sleep. Until his soft voice rings through the darkness of the room "Did you have anything in mind for names, darlin'?"

"Not a whole lot. I wanted to discuss it with you. See what we come up with. I like Ryan but for a girl. Would you go for a boy name for a girl?" Harry wondered.

Niall thought about it for a moment then shrugged a shoulder "I like it actually. In Ireland we have Ryanne for a girl. Pronounced rye-anne. I like-"

"Oh! Niall! That's- I love that!" Harry interrupted excitedly "Ryanne."

"Yeah? I like it too, darlin'. We'll put that at the top of the list." Niall smiled "Your Mum will love it. We're accidentally naming a kid after her if we choose that name."

"Oh my God! That's true. Do you think Ryanne is okay when we already have Nori Anne Horan?" Harry asks, wide eyed.

"Yes," Niall laughed "It's fine, Harry."

"Okay. What else for a girl?"

"I don't know. I think we might have our girl name. Ryanne Jessica Horan. I like that a lot." Niall said thoughtfully.

"Jessica. Yeah. I like Jessica. I like that for a first name too. We should put both names down in my I-pad and see how we feel later on." Harry suggests.

"Like, not in the middle of the night you mean?" Niall asks, his tone dry.

"I hate you," Harry pouts.

"You love me," Niall smiles cutely at Harry then pecks his lips and cuddles in closer under the blankets "Now let's go to sleep. We'll talk more about it tomorrow."

Harry sighs and moves around a bit in the bed until he's down far enough for his head to be on the pillow. He keeps Niall close, though, and kisses his hair one more time before he goes to sleep "I do. I really, really do."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everyone who is reading this story. It really is amazing how many people fell in love with Narry as I wrote them in "Broken". Now a lot of you are enjoying ready about the Son I created for them. It's mind boggling and it means a lot.
> 
>  
> 
> There's another song mentioned in this chapter. It fits the Fizzy situation and it was written by Ozzy in the book. In reality it's a song called "Trip" by Hedley and all credit goes to them for writing it.
> 
> Enjoy chapter four!

 

 **December** **2042**

 

"Ozzy. Babe. What's going on with you, hmm? You look miserable. You have since the moment I picked you up from the airport. Can I do anything for you? We can talk if you want." Ozzy's sister Rachel came into her guest bedroom where Ozzy had taken up residence since he got back to New York a week ago.

He had his own place in the city. He bought a nice town house near Central Park when he started making a lot of money. He wanted to be able to take Jacob there every day he could so he could play and enjoy the outdoors while still being in the city. He didn't go there for Christmas though. He was only home for two weeks and wanted to spend as much time with his sister and niece and nephew as he could. So he and Jacob were staying with her and her husband until he was due to fly back to London.

"There's nothing you can do," Ozzy said quietly. "I wish there was."

"Hey," Rachel frowned as she climbed onto the bed next to him and sat with her back against the headboard "Are you okay? Seriously, I'm worried. Are you sick?"

"No, no," Ozzy reached out a hand to grab one of hers in reassurance "It's nothing like that. I promise."

Rachel looked at him carefully, studying his face like she's always done when she's trying to figure him out. It always unnerved him a bit because it was like she was looking right into his soul. "Is that bitch bothering you? Trying to get you back?"

"No. I haven't heard from Emily. After the way she left me, I think she's smart enough to know never to contact me ever again," Ozzy said.

He had a notebook on his lap, writing a few lyrics down as they come to him. Right now he was idly doodling, colouring in the petals of a flower he drew on the bottom of the page with black pen.

"Is it new girl trouble then? Or boy?" Rachel asked carefully.

Ozzy sighed and laid his notebook aside, pulling his knees up to his chest "Boy trouble I guess. I'm pretty sure I'm already half in love with a really great guy but we can't be together."

"Why can't you be together?" Rachel asks, her brow furrowed in confusion "Is he straight?"

"No. He likes everyone. Same as me. It would be easier if he were straight." Ozzy mumbled, his lips pressed against his knee.

"Oh. _Ohhhh._ Please tell me he's not a married man? It's not Harry is it?" Rachel asked, a shocked look on her face.

" _Harry_??" Ozzy spits out incredulously "Good God no! What is _wrong_ with you?"

"What?" Rachel held her hands up defensively "It would make sense! He's hot as fuck, for one thing, and he's happily married so you definitely couldn't have him. He's too in love with his husband. He'd never leave him. I remember when they first started dating when I was a kid. The world was obsessed."

"Jesus Christ, Rach. He's almost fifty years old and I most definitely don't have an age kink." Ozzy gave his sister a disgusted look "Not to mention the fact that he's been more a father to me in three years than our Dad ever was. What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Alright, alright," Rachel held her hands up in front of her "Relax. It's not Harry. I get it. I still maintain that he's hot as fuck, though."

"Oh my God! You wanted me to talk to you yet you're not being serious!" Ozzy says, getting increasingly exasperated.

"Oh I'm dead serious but alright, alright, I'll stop talking about Harry." Rachel acquiesces. "We'll get back to my question. Why can't you have him? Is he married or involved with someone already?"

"No," Ozzy shook his head "He's Harry and Niall's son. I first met him the day I arrived in London. I was sitting in Harry's kitchen with him and in walks this tall, really hot guy with the bluest eyes I've ever seen. I was immediately attracted to him. Somehow we ended up talking, we became friends and now..."

"You fell for him along the way," Rachel nodded "I get it. It happens. Why can't you be with him though? I'm guessing he likes you as well. Is he underage or something?"

"No. He's eighteen. He'll be nineteen in a few days. Just after the New Year." Ozzy pauses for a minute, picking at his sock with his fingers "Rach. He's Harry's son. I can't do that. I can't just walk into Harry's home when he's invited me there and start dating his son. He trusts me. It just- it wouldn't be right."

"Oz. Harry loves you. He thinks the world of you. He knows you're a great guy who would never hurt his son. Why wouldn't he be happy to have you dating his son?" Rachel asked, a concerned look on her face.

"I know he likes me, loves me even, but that doesn't mean he wants me dating one of his kids. He might think I took advantage of Finn. He might see it as a betrayal and I just can't do that. Not to someone who believed in me and helped me realize my dream so I could provide for my son. I couldn't take it if he looked at me differently. If he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. I also couldn't take it if he and Finn started fighting because of me. They don't deserve that, Rach. I just can't-" Ozzy cuts himself off, his voice completely distraught.

"Oh Ozzy. Basically what you're telling me is, you and Finn like each other but you're doing what you think is right so you can't be together?" Ozzy nodded "That's the most depressing thing I've ever heard."

"It is depressing but it is what it is. I can't change who I am to Harry. Even if I decided I didn't care what Harry thought of me, I couldn't live with myself if Finn decided to take my side and ended up causing a rift between himself and Harry." Ozzy said sadly.

"You said you're half in love with this guy. Are you going to be able to get over that?"

Ozzy reached over to the table to grab his I-pad, opening it up and immediately opening safari "You tell me. I miss him so much in only a week, I googled him so I could look at his picture everyday. That's during his soccer match against his brother's team. His smile lights up his face and I-"

"Oh God," Rachel groaned "I think half in love is a bit generous. You're head over heels if you're sitting around staring at his photo all day."

"He's amazing. He's everything I want in a person. You should see him with Jacob. They adore each other. All I can figure is I did something in another life to make the universe hate me. It's cruel to have what you want right in front of you when you can't have it," Ozzy said, his finger tracing over Finn's face on the screen.

"I'm so sorry," Rachel whispered, resting her head on Ozzy's shoulder "Is there anything I can do to make this easier for you?"

"No," Ozzy shook his head "I just want to hold my son right now. He's the only thing that makes me feel even remotely okay."

"He's watching a film with his cousins. I'll go get him. It's time for Tyler and Megan to have a bath anyway." Rachel said, getting up off the bed to head out to the living room "Hey."

Ozzy looked up as his sister paused in the doorway.

"I love you, little brother. We'll get you through this. It might take some time but we will," Rachel promised.

Ozzy tried to smile at his sister but it probably looked more like a grimace "Thank you. I love you, too."

Rachel smiled softly at him then she knocked her knuckles against the door frame twice before heading off to the living room to get Jacob.

Less than a minute later, Ozzy heard the sound of his sons feet as he ran down the hallway, then he appeared in the doorway with a head full of messed up blonde hair and a huge grin on his face. He ran over to the bed and Ozzy smiled, picking him up immediately and putting him in his lap.

"Hi Papa! Auntie Rachel said you needed some Jacob hugs," His son's high, sweet voice filled the room like music to Ozzy's ears.

"I do. I always need lots of hugs from you everyday. Come here you," Ozzy wrapped his arms around his son's tiny body, his heart immediately melting when Jacob's tiny arms immediately wrapped around his neck. He could feel Jacob's breath on his neck and his heart beating in his chest as he cuddled into Ozzy like a koala.

"I like hugs from you, too, Papa. They're the best hugs. Do you feel sad today?" Jacob asked. His son was always very inquisitive.

"Maybe a little," Ozzy kissed the top of Jacob's head and slowly started swaying them back and forth "Everyone feels a little bit sad sometimes. It's okay to be sad. It's a part of life and growing up."

Jacob snuggled even further into Ozzy, pressing his cheek to Ozzy's chest "I make you feel better, Papa."

"You already did, baby," Ozzy rested his cheek on the top of Jacob's head "You already did."

  
~~~

  
"How are you feeling, baby?" Harry spoke softly as he walked into his and Niall's bedroom and walked over to the bed to check on the lump in the bed that is Niall.

"Like death," Niall said from under the duvet, his voice sounding hoarse from his stuffed up nose and sore throat.

"I brought you some tea with honey for your throat and some medicine to help with your congestion. They'll help your head as well," Harry sat on the bed and rubbed Niall's back through the duvet.

"Thank you, darlin'" Niall croaked, peeking his face out from under the blanket a little "I'm sorry I ruined our plans for tonight."

It was New Years Eve and Nori had agreed to babysit the kids if she could have her best friend stay over for the night with her. Harry and Niall made plans to go out with Louis and Jenn as well as Ed and whoever he'd be bringing as his date and a few other people as well. Niall had felt sick the night before, though, and had only woken up that morning feeling ten times worse.

"You didn't ruin anything, Niall. You know that. We go out all the time thanks to the abundance of babysitters. Just because it's the last day of the year doesn't mean anything. I'd rather stay home with you any day," Harry smiled down at his husband and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You don't have to you know," Niall sniffled "You can go out with everyone. Nori can still babysit the kids and only come get me if the house is on fire."

"I don't want to go out without you. We've spent every New Year together for over twenty years. I've kissed you at midnight for every single one of them. That's not changing. Not for a very long time." Harry says.

Niall huffs and screws up his face as he pushes himself up against the headboard so he can drink his tea and swallow his pills "You will not kiss me. You'll get sick."

"Then you'll take care of me once you're better. I'll probably get sick anyway, just from taking care of you and sleeping in the same bed. You know I don't care about all that and neither do you. How many times have we taken care of each other over the years? Too many."

Niall reaches out and takes one of Harry's hands in his, linking their fingers together "I love you. Thank you for taking care of me. I really feel like shit."

"You're freezing too!" Harry rubs Niall's hand in between both of his "Do you want another blanket?"

"Can I have one of your jumpers? The one that's really big on me." Niall asks, then promptly has a coughing fit.

Harry smiles fondly at his request then heads into their closet to get the jumper. He helps Niall pull it down over his head then he climbs into bed right next to him and holds him close. "How's that?"

"So good," Niall sighs, burying his face in Harry's neck "What time is it? Where are the kids?"

"It's almost four. The kids are downstairs. Charlie and Matty are in the playroom playing with their new toys, Kate and Nori are watching a film and Finn is at Rory's. Nori is taking Kate and the twins over to Rory's after dinner and her and Finn are going to watch all the kids together, along with Nori's friend."

Niall frowned "Finn is Rory's babysitter for tonight? Why isn't he going out with his friends? He's almost nineteen. He's more than old enough to be out."

"Well you know it's not really his scene. Rory said he offered to babysit. He told me not to ask questions, just to let it be. I trust Rory's judgement. Especially when it comes to Finn."

"I _knew_ something was going on with Finn. He seems a bit down." Niall stopped to cough a few times "Rory didn't say what it is?"

Harry shook his head "You know Rory would never betray his confidence unless he was in danger or something. My guess is he's having girl or boy trouble. Everything is always so much more dramatic when you're eighteen."

"I wish he'd talk to us more about this stuff," Niall sighed.

"He's getting better at it and he has Rory anyway. From day one they've had a bond that nobody but them can understand. He'll be fine, whatever it is. Rory will make sure of it."

Harry turns on the telly after that and Niall drifts in and out of sleep while Harry watches a film. An hour later, there's a knock on their bedroom door and Harry quietly calls out for whoever it is to come in.

"Hey," Rory walked into the room quietly "How's Dad?"

"Miserable but I'm taking care of him. He's been dozing off and on for the past hour," Harry said to his son.

"I came to pick up the twins and the girls. I know I was supposed to come after dinner but Penny, Maddie and Danny want pizza so I figured we could all have pizza so you don't have to cook for everybody." Rory says as he sits on the edge of the bed.

"'S that Rory?" Niall stirs from his sleep, his speech slurred.

"Yeah, it's me Dad. Go back to sleep," Rory said.

"Where are my babies?" Niall rolls away from Harry enough to poke his head out from under the blanket to look at Rory.

"They're at home with Anna and Finn," Rory laughed "You look like you should be in a horror film."

"Excuse you!" Niall gasped, which only sent him into a coughing fit.

"Your eyes are all red and puffy and your hair is sticking up everywhere. You're also really pale." Rory laughed again.

"Exactly. I'm gorgeous," Niall joked, making Harry splutter with laughter.

"Nice to know you're still weird even while you're sick," Rory snorted "Anyway. Your grandchildren drew some pictures for you this morning. They're downstairs on the counter. Do you need me to go out and get you anything from the store?"

"No, love, we're okay. I went to the store this morning while your Dad was sleeping. Got all sorts of stuff for the flu and stocked up on food." Harry assured Rory.

"Alright. Call me if you need anything at all. I don't care what time it is." Rory instructs his Pop.

"We'll be fine. You just go out and have fun tonight." Harry said.

"We always do!" Rory grinned.

"Hey." Niall stopped Rory before he made it to the door "Finn's okay, yeah?"

"He is. Don't worry too much. There's nothing serious or life threatening going on," Rory assured his parents.

"Okay. Keep an eye on him just the same. I know you'll take care of him." Niall said "Tell him to call us later. We haven't seen him much lately. I miss him."

"You're such a sap," Rory laughed "Pop has you ruined but yes I'll have him call you."

"Your Pop has ruined me a few times, yes," Niall says. He breaks out into laughter when he sees Rory's face but it quickly turns into a coughing fit.

"You're both disgusting," Rory looks scandalized. He would definitely make his Uncle Louis proud that's for sure. "I don't care how old I am, I still don't need to know anything about your sex life."

"You walked right into that one," Harry grinned "It's like you don't even know your father at all."

"I'm going now. I'll tell your children to come up and say goodbye. I'll tell Finn to call you. Feel better Dad," Rory called over his shoulder as he practically ran out of the room.

"You love torturing our children don't you?" Harry laughed "Even when you're so sick you can barely stay awake."

Niall shrugged and cuddled back down under the blanket and into Harry's side "They make it so easy."

"Oh my God," Harry snorted "I love you so much."

Niall didn't respond, just stuck his hand out from under the blanket and gave Harry a thumbs up.

  
~~~

 

 

 

 **January** **2043**

  
Finn was thankful for his family. He loved every single one of them and loved that they all wanted to celebrate his nineteenth birthday with him but right now he just wanted to be alone. Not in a house full of people who all wanted a piece of him since he's the birthday boy. He was definitely overwhelmed which is why he disappeared downstairs for a minute, to catch his breath.

He stood in the hallway when he got down there, leaning a shoulder against the wall, his eyes closed as he took in some deep breaths. He wanted to be able to enjoy his birthday. His Pop made him a cake and cooked a huge meal for everybody. Everyone he loved was here, wishing him well and bringing him presents, his friends wanted to take him out for drinks afterward. He was lucky to have so many people who cared about him, yet he didn't feel lucky. His chest ached, he hardly slept anymore and he felt like a huge piece of him was missing. He knew it was because he missed Ozzy and Jacob. Knew it was because he lost the man he was falling for before he even had him.

When he pushed off the wall, he walked to the end of the hall and went into his Pop's recording studio, flipping on the light and closing the door behind him. He knew Ozzy had been there earlier that day working with his Pop and Ed and when he walked further into the room and opened the door to the booth he could smell Ozzy's cologne right away. If he closed his eyes he could picture Ozzy in there, could hear his voice as he sang his heart out.

"Fuck," He cursed and tipped his head back so he was looking at the ceiling. He thought he wanted to fall in love someday but if this is what came with it, he wanted no part in it.

He turned around and exited the booth again, closing the door behind him. He took a seat in front of the sound board and stared at all the buttons for a minute before he picked up the headphones there and put them on his head. He knew how to work everything. He spent hours in here with his Pop when he was growing up so he wasn't worried he'd break anything. He just really wanted to hear Ozzy's voice. He knew he was torturing himself, knew he was making things more difficult. He should be trying to forget Ozzy. Forget everything he felt for the older boy. He should be...but he isn't.

He turns the music on and listens to a couple of songs. They obviously weren't done, were just rough cuts but Ozzy still sounded amazing. He had power in his voice like Finn has never heard before, not even from his Pop and he hit every note like it was easy. He truly had a beautiful voice.

About ten minutes in, a new song starts and Finn immediately sits up straighter as he listens to the lyrics.

Some say love is not for sinners  
I believe that isn't true  
'Cause when I was finished sinning  
Love came down and showed me you

And you told me how to get there  
so I tried to find a way,  
then I ran into your garden  
but I tripped on the gate,  
but I tripped on the gate.

Finn felt his heart rate pick up, his palms get sweaty and he swallowed hard a few times as he took in the lyrics of what appeared to be the first verse. What was Ozzy talking about? Was he talking about him? Finn wasn't an arrogant person by any means but the lyrics fit. They fit the situation he and Ozzy were in. He knew Ozzy cared about him, he admitted as much, and he knew why he couldn't do anything about it. _The_ _lyrics_ _fit!_!

Of course when he heard the chorus, it only confirmed everything.

  
What are you doing to me?  
I'm so into you  
And the hardest part is knowing  
That I'll never follow through  
You're slowly killing me  
And I wish it wasn't true  
Cause I'm so into you

Oh God. Finn ripped the headphones off and turned the music off, putting his head into his hands. Why? Why is this happening to him? Why did he find a guy who was clearly so into him and who he was so clearly into and they couldn't be together?

The tears started to fall down his face and before he knew it he was bent over on the chair, sobbing into his hands. He didn't know for how long but he was eventually startled when he was practically lifted from the chair and wrapped up in a pair of strong arms. He knew who it was immediately and it only made him cry more because he knew he wouldn't be judged. Knew he could safely let go and not be self conscious about it.

"Rory..."

"Shh," Rory shushed him "It's okay. It's just you and me here. Get it all out little brother. I won't let you go. I promise."

Finn nodded against his brothers chest then let Rory lead him over to the couch so they could sit down until Finn was able to control his emotions.

"What happened, Finn? You went missing for awhile, I came to find you and you're in here crying. That's not like you." Rory asked when Finn calmed down some.

"It's not fair," Was all Finn said, waving his hand in the direction of the headphones "Just listen. It's not fair."

Rory frowned but stood up and walked over to put the headphones on. He listened for a minute like Finn did, then he took off the headphones and came back to sit with Finn on the couch "You were down here listening to Ozzy's songs?"

"Did you listen to the lyrics, Rory? Like, I'm not some arrogant prick, you know that, but those lyrics fit us, fit what happened with us. They had to be about me and him. It's not fair. He clearly likes me a lot and I like him too. I'm falling in love with the guy for fuck's sake! Why can't we be together? _Why_?It's so fucking cruel." Finn sniffed, his fingers coming up to wipe at his eyes.

"Why don't you talk to Pop about this?" Rory asked.

Finn sighed and waved his hand dismissively in the air "You know how much I love Dad and Pop. They're the best but you know I don't open up very easily to anyone but you."

"I know but...maybe if Pop knew how you felt about Ozzy, he-"

"No!" Finn interrupted "I can't tell Pop how we feel about each other. That's what Ozzy is afraid of. He's afraid of how Pop will react. If I tell Pop and he reacts badly and takes it out on Ozzy, he'd never forgive me. He hasn't had the easiest life. His Dad is the complete opposite of our Dad's. He's an asshole who never treated his family right. Pop treats him like a son. He's been there for him for the past three years. If Pop reacted badly, it might ruin their relationship. I can't do that."

"What if you left Ozzy's side out of it? Tell Pop you've become friends with Ozzy and have developed feelings for him. Tell him you want to ask Ozzy out. He'll either be delighted and tell you to go for it or he'll tell you he doesn't like it. If he doesn't like it then he never has to know how Ozzy feels. Their relationship would be fine." Rory said.

"Yeah but what if Pop is happy about it and wants me and Ozzy to be together but then Ozzy is mad at me for going behind his back? I just- I don't see a way out here. I can't get Pop involved. If Ozzy wants me he has to make the decision himself to do something about it."

"I just hate seeing you like this. On your birthday no less. I want you to be happy. That's all I want."

"Maybe I'm not meant to be," Finn said softly.

"That's ridiculous! Of course you're meant to be happy! You're an amazing person, Finn. You _deserve_ to be happy." Rory said emphatically.

"Then why does this all hurt so much? Why does it have to be so hard?" Finn cried.

"Nothing is ever easy when it comes to love. I learned that the hard way. Lost four years with Anna because of it." Rory said sadly.

"It's easy for Dad and Pop," Finn said, sounding almost bitter. Not because he didn't want his parents to be happy but because he wished he could have what his parents have and didn't understand why he couldn't.

"You're joking right?" Rory snorted "Nothing has been easy for Dad and Pop. Dad lost his husband and Pop his boyfriend. They went through unspeakable pain before they found each other. Then they weren't even married for six months when they found out about me. I was fifteen years old and thrust into their lives without any warning. They've been through a lot. Nothing was easy. Maybe that's the way it's meant to be for you? Maybe you will have what they have but it'll take a little while before it happens."

"I really don't think finding out about you was a hardship for them, Rory. Especially Pop. I mean, I didn't find out until I was five that Pop wasn't your biological father. I seriously thought they were both our fathers biologically."

"Oh my God!" Rory laughed "You thought men could have babies?"

"Shut up. I was five." Finn pouted "My point was that Pop sees you as his son. He always has so I don't think it was a hardship finding out about you."

"Pop's pretty special. We're so lucky to have him. I don't care that we don't have his blood in our veins." Rory said.

"Yeah," Finn sighed and rested his head against Rory's shoulder "I hope I'm as good a father as you and Pop are someday."

"I learned everything I know from Pop and Dad too. You just follow their example and you will be. I promise you that."

"I hope you're right. I just hope I get the chance to even be a father some day." Finn said.

"You will, Finny. Maybe it'll be with Ozzy some day or maybe somebody else. It _will_ happen though. I know it will."

"Thank you. For everything." Finn said sincerely.

Rory held Finn against him and kissed the top of his head affectionately "I love you."

"Love you, too, Rory."

 

  
~~~

  
"This is ridiculous!" Ozzy yelled in frustration as he pulled his headphones off and slammed them down "I can't get it right. I don't like it. Something is missing!"

"Hey. Oz. Relax." Harry stepped into the booth and gently guided him out "This happens sometimes, especially when you hit a wall with a song that's important to you. There's no rush with this. Let's pack it in for the day, yeah? Then we can take a few days off and come back to it next week. "

Ozzy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger "That's probably a good idea. Sorry for the outburst."

Harry laughed and shook his head fondly "My husband is an Irishman. I'm used to outbursts."

"Sounds fun," Ozzy shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and smiled.

"It's very entertaining. Especially when he and Kate are in a standoff. She's his biologically. I'm not sure if you knew that or not but anyway, she's his biologically and she is exactly like him. She's the female version of him. Sometimes they do things on purpose just to piss the other one off. They're ridiculous," Harry said, faking exasperation.

"You love it. You wouldn't have it any other way would you?" Ozzy laughed.

"Nope. I wouldn't." Harry said "Hey. Is something going on with you that you want to talk about? You've been on edge a bit and no offence but you look a little worse for wear. Are you sleeping?"

Ozzy swallowed and cast his eyes down at his feet. No he wasn't really sleeping. All he could think about was Finn and as each day goes by without seeing him, it's only making Ozzy ache for him even more. He couldn't exactly tell Harry that, though, so he simply shrugged and tried his best to smile up at Harry. "I'm fine. Maybe a bit tired."

"Anything you want to talk about? You know I'm here for you always. Whatever you need." Harry said gently.

"I know. It's just-it's complicated and I don't even know where to start. I think I'll just go home and spend some time with Jacob. That always makes me feel better."

"Alright. Just remember I'm here if you need me. No matter what. I love you, ya know? Come here," Harry pulled Ozzy into his arms and hugged him tight.

Ozzy hugged him back but he couldn't talk. He was too emotional, fighting back tears. Harry loved him. He knew that. He loved Harry too. Which is why he felt so guilty for liking his son so much without him knowing.

"Um," Ozzy cleared his throat, keeping his eyes pointed at the floor "I better- I should go. I'm gonna just-" he pointed his finger toward the doorway "I'll text you in a few days."

"Ozzy-" Harry tried to talk to him again, a concerned look on his face but Ozzy grabbed his jacket and waved quickly before running up the stairs and out the door.

  
~~~

  
"I swear to God my kid gets cuter everyday," Ozzy said to Kara later that night as he walked down the stairs "He didn't want a story before bed, he wanted to sing a song and he sat there propped up on pillows snapping his fingers and trying to sing with me but he doesn't know all the words."

Kara chuckled and held a bottle of beer up in front of her, Ozzy grabbing it as he sat down next to her on the couch "All day long when you're gone it's all about the music. He listens to you sometimes but mostly the very catchy tunes of children's programs. I know more of those songs than I do pop songs these days."

Ozzy snorted and brought the bottle to his lips, tipping it up a bit to take a long drink. He doesn't say anything else but it turned out he didn't need to since Kara seemed to have that covered.

"So. Where's Finn been at these days, hmm?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.

Ozzy spluttered a bit, beer dribbling down his chin. He quickly wiped it off with the back of his hand then wiped his hand in his joggers. They were going in the wash anyway. "What do you mean?"

Kara rolled her eyes and turned her body so that she was facing him "Don't play that game with me. He was spending almost every evening here with you and Jacob before Christmas then it just...stopped. What happened? The two of you looked hot for each other. I thought for sure you'd be a couple by now."

" _What_?!?!" Ozzy squeaked "Why would you- we're not- there's nothing going on with us."

"Oh for god's sake! I figured that out, asshole! I'm trying to understand _why_ there's nothing going on? You look at him like he's everything and he looks at you the same way. Why weren't you spending your time fucking him every night after Jacob was in bed and I went out? That's why I went to my friends every night! To give you privacy," Kara said, exasperation clear in her voice.

Ozzy opened his mouth to keep protesting but closed it again because what's the use? Kara had become his closest friend and confidant over the past two years since she became Jacob's nanny. She knew him and knew when he was lying so there really was no point in trying to fool her. "It could never work between us."

"Why the fuck not?" Kara asked incredulously "Did you miss the part where I said he looks at you like he adores you? He's a really great guy and don't get me started on his ass. I seriously have to stop myself from grabbing it from behind when he's over here."

"Kara!!!" Ozzy's eyes opened wide in disbelief.

"And that time he came over and he hadn't shaved in a few days? Holy shit! He was so rugged and he was wearing those tight jeans- you remember the day I'm talking about right? That boy is all man. Like he can grow a full beard in a couple days and-"

"Jesus Christ!" Ozzy cut her off "You're obsessed! All that time I was letting him in this house with a crazed stalker!"

"Oh fuck off!" Kara slapped him on the arm "There's no way you didn't jerk off after seeing him that day. He was like a rugged mountain man from Montana or something."

"Oh my God!" Ozzy covered his face with his hands and shook his head back and forth "There's got to be a manual somewhere that says this is completely inappropriate conversation between an employer and employee."

"Probably but when did that ever stop me before?" Kara said with a huge grin on her face "Now. Tell me why it won't work with you and Finn."

"Kara," Ozzy started, tipping his head back so that it was resting on the back of the couch and he was staring up at the ceiling "I can't start up something with Harry's son. He trusts me. He brought me here and invited me into his home. It just wouldn't be right."

" _What_??" Kara looked confused "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Harry would probably be the first one in line to congratulate you!"

"You don't know that, Kara. Finn was eighteen years old. He only just turned nineteen. Harry could think I came in and took advantage of him. He could be furious and then there would be a strain on his relationship with Finn. He'd probably never talk to me again either. He's like a father to me, Kara. He's so important to me. I can't do that. I just can't!" Ozzy said, his voice steadily rising in desperation.

Kara doesn't say anything for a good five minutes. Just sips her beer and taps her foot against the floor, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed as she clearly gives a lot of thought to something.

When she finally speaks, she looks Ozzy straight in the eye like she's trying to figure something out "How much do you like this guy? Seriously."

"I think you know," Ozzy said quietly, his eyes filling up with tears "I'm pretty gone for him and nothing has ever hurt as much as it hurt when I told him we couldn't be together. Nothing has ever hurt as much as the constant ache in my chest because I miss him so much. Nothing hurts as much as losing him before I even had him."

"You're in love with him then," Kara said with a slight nod of her head "Okay so let me just say something here. Maybe play devil's advocate a bit."

"I don't understand," Ozzy looked at her, his brow furrowed.

"Let's, for the sake of argument, say you and Finn are in a relationship and Harry finds out. He's angry, he feels betrayed, he yells and screams at you and Finn. How long do you think that anger will truly last?" Kara asks.

"I don't know? Is this going somewhere?"

"Ozzy. Look, I've gotten to know Harry through you. I'd only met him a few times up to now but listening to you talk about him makes me feel like I know him and what I know for certain is that his kids and his husband are the most important thing in the world to him. Nothing else matters."

"Exactly! That's my point!" Ozzy sounds frustrated.

"Let me finish," Kara reached over and pinched his leg, making him yelp "Harry might be mad at you for awhile but he can't tell Finn who he can and can't see. So as each day goes by, what is he going to see? He's going to see how happy you make his son. He's going to see how good you treat him, how you'll do anything for him, how you love him with all your heart. He's going to see how you take care of him and when he sees all of that, he'll get over being mad because at the end of the day all he wants is someone to treat his son the way he deserves to be treated. All he wants is for Finn to be happy. So maybe you have to weather the storm for a bit, stick together and make things work during tough times before Harry comes around. Wouldn't it be worth it though? If you got to have Finn everyday? See his smile, hear his laugh, feel his hand in yours? Isn't a few bad weeks worth it in the end? Or would you rather the alternative? Never being together _ever_ because of how Harry _might_ react?"

Ozzy was stunned. He sat frozen on the couch as every word Kara said sunk in. He'd never once thought of it that way. How if Harry is angry at him he just needs to stick around and prove himself. Prove he's worthy of Finn. He could do that couldn't he? Finn was worth it. He was so worth it.

"I can tell by the look on your face that you never thought of your situation quite like that before," Kara said, leaning over to put her beer on the table and grab her tablet instead. She opened the cover and tapped on the screen for a minute then she turned it so Ozzy could see "I don't know what you're going to do but you should probably do it soon or else you might look up one day and find out that you've truly lost him for good."

Ozzy took the tablet from Kara, his heart sinking as he saw the photo she brought up. It was a photo the daily mail had posted two days ago of Finn walking down the street with his arm around a beautiful woman's waist. His lips were close to her ear as he said something to her and she was laughing, her eyes lit up like a fucking Christmas tree.

"Don't freak out. We don't know who she is. She could just be a friend or maybe a cousin of his. She could also be someone he's interested in, maybe dating. We don't know and that's why if you're truly serious about him and really love him, you'll fight for him. Tell him how you feel and tell him you can deal with whatever Harry throws your way. Tell him soon, before whatever this is," Kara points at the tablet "gets serious."

Ozzy's mouth felt dry and he swallowed a few times, trying to speak "I-I need to think about this. I need to-"

"I know. I'm going up to my room. I'll leave you alone to decide what you want to do. You know where to find me if you need me. No matter what time and if Jacob wakes up during the night, I'll take care of him. You just figure out what you want to do." Kara said, reaching over to envelop him in a hug.

"Thank you," Ozzy whispered as he hugged her back. "You've given me a lot to think about."

"I sincerely hope everything works out how you want it. I like Finn. He's a good guy and you'd be really great together. He'd be great for Jacob." Kara said.

"Yeah. He has a way with kids. He's amazing." Ozzy couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face. Whenever he saw Finn with Jacob or his little brothers, his stomach swooped and he went around grinning like a teenage school girl.

"Yep. You're head over heels for sure," Kara said with a fond smile on her face "Goodnight Ozzy."

"Goodnight," Ozzy said quietly, watching as his friend/nanny walked out of the room. When she was out of sight, he blew out a long breath and fell back against the couch, biting his lip as his head filled with so many thoughts.

He had no idea what he was going to do but he had to do it soon or else risk losing Finn forever.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter five for all you lovely people! Thank you for continuing to read and leave comments/kudos. It means a lot and it definitely keeps me motivated to keep writing, knowing that you're enjoying the story and waiting for the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this one :)

 

 

  
**February** **2043**

 

 

Finn is sitting in the locker room one morning in early February, getting ready to head out onto the pitch for practice when his cell phone rings. He quickly looks at the caller ID and when he doesn't recognize the number he presses ignore and goes back to rolling his socks up over his legs and up to his knees.

A few minutes later, when he's getting ready to head outside, his phone rings again, the same number, so he ignores it again and throws the phone in his bag. It wasn't a local number. It looked American and Finn figured it was either someone trying to sell him something or a tabloid trying to get a quote from him.

Finn didn't consider himself to be famous. His Pop is and Rory is, being that he's the highest paid player in football right now, but not Finn. Sure, he's been in tabloids and people know his name but until a few months ago it was simply because he was Harry Styles-Horan's kid. Now that he's making a name for himself during his first season with Chelsea, he's been in the tabloids a bit more than normal, even in America apparently, so it wouldn't surprise him if it was some American tabloid trying to reach him.

He reaches for the door to the locker room and pulls it open, only to hear his phone start ringing again in his bag. He sighs and goes over to dig his phone from his bag, planning to tell whoever it is to piss off but when he hears a frantic voice on the other end of the line, his ears perk up a bit and he listens intently to the caller.

"Finn? Is this Finn? Oh my God. This is Kara. I'm Jacob's nanny. We've met a few times. I don't know if you remember or not but- oh my God, thank God you answered the phone. I'm stuck and I don't know what to do and I can't reach Ozzy. His phone just goes straight to voicemail-"

"Kara. Kara you need to calm down. I can't help you if you don't calm down enough to tell me what's wrong. Has something happened? Is Jacob okay?" Finn asks, his heart beating wildly. What if the little boy is seriously injured and Ozzy isn't there to help him? He'd be devastated if he missed being there when his son desperately needed him.

"My Mom called. She called and- and my Dad had a heart attack. A bad one and I-" Kara broke off, a choked sob filling the line.

"It's okay," Finn said in a soothing voice "It's okay. Just take a deep breath and tell me what I can do."

He can hear Kara take in a few shaky breaths over the line and then she starts talking again "If I don't make the next flight to New York, I'll have to wait three hours for the next one and I can't- I need to get home but I can't reach Ozzy but if I don't leave soon I won't make that flight."

Finn nodded along while she spoke, immediately understanding what she needed "I'll be right there. As fast as traffic will allow. Book that flight. I'll stay with Jacob and keep trying to get in touch with Ozzy, okay?"

"Oh God. Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you," Kara kept repeating, relief in her voice.

"I'm hanging up now so I can drive. I'll be there soon." Finn said then they said goodbye and he took off out of the locker room, still dressed in his practice uniform and wearing a pair of cleats on his feet. He ran to his car and immediately used the Bluetooth to call his coach to let him know where he went.

"Horan! Where the hell are you! The rest of the team has been out here for over ten minutes." His coach barked into the phone.

"I'm sorry. I got a phone call, there's been an emergency and I had to leave. I'll put in extra work tomorrow morning," Finn promised, praying to God his coach would be understanding.

"Sorry to hear that, Horan. I hope everyone is alright. Let us know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Sir. I appreciate it. I've gotta go," Finn rushed out, then they quickly said goodbye and Finn hung up.

For the rest of the drive to Ozzy's flat, he couldn't help but feel excited that he would be seeing Jacob again. The little boy won his heart the very first time they met and he would be lying if he said he hadn't missed Jacob over the past six weeks. The little boy was a real delight to have around, so fun and outgoing, always chattering away to whoever is willing to listen. Sometimes he even had conversations with his stuffed animals.

A laugh escaped Finn's lips and he shook his head fondly as he stopped at a red light. Jacob was definitely an amazing little boy and why wouldn't he be when he has a Dad like Ozzy? Ozzy was a great father and it showed in everything Jacob did. Thanks to him, Jacob was a very sweet, very happy little boy with not a care in the world. He was only four but he already cared about other people and their feelings, asking if they're okay when they look sad or hurt.

Finn's favourite thing about the little boy is how intuitive he is. He always seems to know when someone needs a hug and he always gives them the biggest squeeze his little arms can manage. Then he'll stick to the person like glue until he was satisfied they were okay and happy again. Finn knew because it happened when Finn's knee hurt one day after a rough practice. Jacob cuddled into him on the couch and gently rubbed his knee with his small hand, like he could magically make the pain disappear with just his fingers. It was cute and only made Finn fall even more in love with him than he already was.

When he finally pulled up to the rented flat, there was already a cab waiting and Kara was half out the door to meet him when he ran up the steps.

"Thank you for coming! I-I don't really know anybody else here except my few friends but Ozzy has never met them and I know he wouldn't want me to leave Jacob with a stranger. That left you or Harry and I don't know Harry's number." Kara explained.

Finn looked at her as she spoke. Her eyes were frantic and scared and her eyes were red from crying. She wasn't crying now and he knew it was probably because she didn't want Jacob to know she was upset.

He felt terrible for her, even though he didn't know her that well. He can't imagine being an eight hour flight away if his Dad or Pop had a massive heart attack. He'd lose his mind, pull his hair out, probably have a breakdown.

He quickly pulled her into a hug then pulled back to look her in the eye "Go. Catch that flight. Jacob will be fine and I'll explain everything to Ozzy. Just worry about your Dad. Everything here is fine."

Kara sniffled and nodded, squeezing Finn's arm once before saying thank you again and running down the drive toward the taxi.

Finn walked into the flat, locking the door behind him and removing his cleats by the closet. He looked down at his long socks up to his knees and sighed because he didn't think to grab his bag. He had no normal clothes to wear but none of that mattered now. Only Jacob mattered.

Finn walked further into the flat and into the living room where he heard the telly. Jacob was there on the floor in front of the telly singing along to a kids show.

"Hey buddy. How are you doing?" Finn asked as he walked into the room, a huge smile on his face.

"Finny!!!!" Jacob jumped up and ran over to him, wrapping himself around Finn's legs and nearly knocking him over "Hi! Kara said you were coming!"

"She did? Well she was right!" Finn picked the little boy up and swung him around in his arms "I came to play with you so she could visit her Mummy and Daddy."

"Mmhmm," Jacob hummed "She said you would be here until Papa gets home."

"Yep. That's exactly right. I'm all yours. What would you like to do?" Finn asked, tapping the little boys nose with his index finger.

"I'm watching my show. We can colour after that. Do you want to colour?" Jacob asked him.

"Yes, I'd love to," Finn chuckled "How about you go finish your show and I'll just be over here in the kitchen so I can call my Pop to let him know where I am?"

"Okay!" Jacob smiled happily. He ran back to his blankets on the floor and sat right back down, immediately joining in the song on the show.

Finn smiled fondly and walked over to the kitchen so he could call his Pop and see if he knew where Ozzy was.

"Hi love. Are you finished practice?" His Pop's voice filled his ear a minute later.

"No. I had to leave. Do you know where Ozzy is?" Finn asked, getting right down to business.

"Ozzy? No? Why?" His Pop sounded confused.

"His nanny was trying to reach him but she couldn't get him on the phone so she called me. She had to fly home because her Dad is really sick and needed someone to watch Jacob. She didn't know your number so she called me. I left practice and now here I am. I figure we should try to find Ozzy right? Like, what if he tries to call Kara and she doesn't answer because she's on the plane? He might think something is wrong with Jacob."

"If he doesn't have his phone then I don't know how we'd reach him. He's very independent. Doesn't use a car service or have a bodyguard with him unless it's absolutely necessary. If he had a guard I could just call him," His Pop sighed "I'll call his PA and see if she knows where he is. If he's at a meeting or something we might be able to call someone to let him know what's going on."

"Alright. I'll stay here with Jacob for the time being." Finn said.

"Are you sure? I can come over or you can bring him here if you want."

"It's fine Pop. I'm used to babysitting. I have like, a million little siblings," Finn joked.

"Ha ha ha," His Pop said dryly "I'll call you if I find out anything. Let me know if you need anything okay?"

"Will do. Thanks Pop," Finn said before he hung up the phone.

After grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, he went back to the living room and sat down on the couch, removing his socks and the shin pads underneath. He laid them to the side then tucked his bare feet up under him to keep them warm. It wasn't cold in the house but it was still February and the floors were hardwood, not carpet. After a moment of thinking about it, he got his phone out again and texted his best friend, asking her if she could drop by his house and get him some proper clothes from his Pop. She said she'd do it right after her class at university so Finn texted his Pop to ask him to have some clothes ready, then he put his phone back down and watched Jacob's show with him.

 

~~~

  
Ozzy shivered as he walked into his apartment and out of the cold London air. He wasn't an expert on London weather but it definitely seemed a lot colder than normal. He'd been to London in the winter before and it was never this cold.

Kicking his shoes off and unzipping his jacket, he walked in through the foyer to the living room, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw a woman that was _not_ Kara standing there next to a half naked Finn.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Ozzy charged into the room, anger running through his veins. It was bad enough he didn't know what Finn was doing in his apartment in the first place, but to be half naked with a woman in his living room? When his son was probably somewhere in the house? Oh my God! His son! "Where's my son? Where's _Kara_?"

"Um." The girl turned her head to stare at him with wide, brown eyes. She looked back at Finn who also had wide eyes and stood frozen in his spot wearing only a pair of shorts that were riding quite low on his hips.

"Um?" Ozzy yelled incredulously "Who the fuck _are_ you?"

The girl turned back to Finn again briefly, then turned back to Ozzy before quickly excusing herself and taking off out the front door.

"Ozzy. You're home." Finn finally found his voice, even if he was only stating the obvious.

"Yes! I'm home! Why are you half naked in my living room with a strange girl I've never met before?" Ozzy was fuming. Yeah, he and Finn weren't together but what kind of insensitive bastard hooks up with someone else in the house of the person who has admitted to liking you?

"Sorry! Sorry. I-" Finn cut himself off, grabbing for his t-shirt on the couch and quickly pulling it on.

"I'm seriously losing my patience right now. Where. Is. My. Son?" Ozzy seethed, his hands clenched into fists by his side.

"He's upstairs in his room having a nap. He's perfectly fine," Finn assured him, his eyes still wide. Probably because he'd never seen Ozzy yelling like a lunatic before.

Ozzy breathed out a sigh of relief. His son was okay. He was safe in his bedroom upstairs. Asleep. Which means Ozzy should definitely lower his voice.

"Where's Kara?" He asked calmly, lowering his voice.

"She had to go home. Her Dad had a massive heart attack. She-she called you so many times, _I've_ called you so many times but we couldn't reach you. She didn't know who else to call to watch Jacob so she called me." Finn explained.

"Fuck," Ozzy muttered, reaching into his pocket for his phone. He tried to turn it on but nothing happened. It must have finally died. He needed a new phone, could certainly afford one, but he thought it was stupid to upgrade to a new phone every year when there's nothing wrong with the current phone you have. He liked his phone just fine but he had noticed the battery was draining quicker than normal lately. He should have gotten a new one. "It's dead. I'm sorry I was unavailable. Is she okay? Did she catch a flight?"

"She's shaken up but she got on the first flight she could and I told her I'd take care of Jacob and let you know what's happening." Finn said.

"Okay. I'll call her later to see how everything is going," Ozzy said, his shoulders slumping a bit "Thank you. For taking care of my son. It was careless of me to be unavailable like that. You were here when I couldn't be so...thank you for that."

"You're welcome. It was no trouble really. Jacob is a cool kid. We had fun hanging out," Finn said quietly, his eyes pointed down at the floor.

Ozzy looked at him, finally calmed down enough to really look at him. He was just as gorgeous as ever and Ozzy's heart ached at just the sight of him. It's been six long weeks since he laid eyes on him. He missed him so much and now here he was, standing right in front of him but he had a girl with him and he was half naked.

Ozzy's body stiffened and he pulled himself up to his full height again, fixing his eyes on Finn in a glare "I'm grateful to you for looking after my son but what the hell did you think you were doing bringing your girlfriend over here and getting half naked in my living room?? You're not some sixteen year old girl who sneaks her boyfriend in while she's babysitting so they can make out on the couch. You're an adult. You should know what's appropriate and what's not appropriate."

"Excuse me?" Finn's head snapped up and he stared at Ozzy in disbelief.

"You heard me. You don't bring your girlfriend in here when you're meant to be looking after my son," Ozzy said in a cold, low voice.

Finn stared at him long and hard, then laughed humourlessly as he started gathering clothes from the couch "Wow. I guess now I know what you really think of me, right?"

Ozzy didn't say anything, just continued to watch Finn gather his things. His heart ached thinking of Finn with someone else and he wanted to vomit thinking about what might have just taken place on his couch. Kara told him to tell Finn how he felt before it was too late but clearly it was already too late.

"For your information," Finn said in a cold, steely voice, before he left the living room "She's not my girlfriend. She's my best mate. Since we were five. I told you about Alexa. Obviously you didn't listen to me or maybe you just forgot since it obviously wasn't important to you. She was only here for five minutes when you walked in. She brought me clothes because I was in the middle of practice when Kara called and I rushed here to be with Jacob, not even thinking to bring my bag. So excuse me if I didn't want to be here all day in shorts and a jersey in the middle of February. Oh and I was 'half naked' because I spilled something on my jersey. I was changing my shirt when you came in."

Ozzy stood staring at Finn with his mouth hanging open. Not his girlfriend. She's not his girlfriend. Oh my God. He fucked up. He really fucked up.

"Finn," His voice cracked so he stopped to clear his throat " I'm sorry. I-"

"I don't really want to hear it, Ozzy. I'd rather not leave while Jacob is napping but under the circumstances I don't think that's a good idea. Please tell him I said goodbye. I don't want him to think I just left him without a word." Finn said, his voice monotonous.

"No! Please don't leave Finn. Not like this! I'm sorry! I was angry and-and-and jealous! I was jealous okay? And I let that make me angry and I blew up at you. I'm so sorry. Please.. "

Finn stopped as he was about to leave the room, his back stiff and his hands curling into fists by his side. When he turned around, his eyes were stormy and his face was red from anger "You were jealous?"

"Yeah. Yes. I- you know how I feel about you. When I thought- when I saw you- I just-" Ozzy stumbled over his words, wanting desperately to explain himself but not having the right words.

"What right do you have to be jealous?" Finn shook with anger "You didn't want me remember? You said we couldn't be together because of my father. Was that even the real reason? Because I've had six weeks to think about it and I'm beginning to think it's not the real reason at all. I'm starting to think you were just trying to let me down easy. Trying to let me know that I just wasn't good enough. Guys like you don't fall for nerds like me after all right?"

Ozzy gasped and shook his head vehemently. What was Finn talking about? Trying to let him down easy? No! That's not right! Ozzy was falling in love with Finn. Fuck! He was already in love with him. Why would he think Ozzy didn't want him? That he wasn't good enough? Ozzy wants him, he wants him so much.

"Finn! No. Thats not-"

"Leave me alone, Ozzy. Just leave me the fuck alone," Finn yelled, then he took off out the front door and was already taking off in his car before Ozzy was finally able to move again.

"Oh God. Oh my God." Ozzy moaned as he sank down onto the floor on his knees. He had to fix this. He loved Finn so much but Finn was thinking he's not good enough, that people don't fall for nerds. That's not true! It's not right. He has to fix this.

Except he can't. Not right now. Not with his son sleeping upstairs and nobody to babysit. He couldn't go after Finn even though he desperately wanted to. He hated that Finn left here thinking he wasn't good enough. Hated it, but his son had to come first and right now his son needed him here.

  
~~~

  
Finn burst through the door to his house, his face still red with anger and his jaw clenched tight. He couldn't believe Ozzy. He thought Ozzy knew him, cared about him but clearly he didn't if he thought Finn could get naked with some girl while Jacob was asleep upstairs.

Then he had the audacity to say he was jealous? He didn't want to be with Finn. Kept saying he couldn't do that to his Pop so what right did he have to be jealous? Ozzy could have had him six weeks ago. He would have fell into his arms easily and never let go but he said no. He said they couldn't be together but apparently if he can't have Finn then nobody else can either.

Well he wasn't having it. He didn't have time for bullshit games. He wasn't going to sit back and let someone try to control him like that. If Finn wanted to be with someone else then he would be and to hell with Ozzy.

He didn't see anybody when he got in the house but his Dad must have heard him because he came down the hallway from his office and met Finn before he went upstairs.

"What's wrong, Finn? Are you okay?" His dad laid a hand on his arm and gave him a concerned look.

"I'm fine," Finn said as evenly as he could "Just going to go upstairs and watch some telly."

"You're clearly not okay, Finn. You look upset. Is there anything I can do? Do you want to talk about it?" His dad asked.

"No. I don't" Finn said curtly "I'm going upstairs."

"Okay," His Dad whispered, nodding his head slowly "Alright."

He didn't waste any time running up the stairs and into his bedroom. He quickly changed into a jumper and a pair of grey joggers then started pacing back and forth in front of his bed, trying to get the hurt and anger to dissipate.

He couldn't. He couldn't calm down and now all he could see was the hurt look on his Dad's face when he brushed him off. He was such a dick. His Dad loved him so much and only wanted to help him but Finn rarely let him, rarely let anyone except for Rory. Not even Alexa got all of Finn. He could open up to her but never completely, even though she was his best friend.

Finn stopped pacing as he felt tears filling up his eyes. He pressed his fingers against his eyelids to stop it and took a deep breath, then another one, and another one until he was somewhat calm again. Then he pulled his phone from his pocket and texted his dad, asking him to come up to his room. He could have gone downstairs to get him but he didn't want to run into anyone else right now.

There was a soft knock on his door a few minutes later and then his Dad was walking into the room, closing the door behind him "Hey..."

Finn sat down on his bed, staring at his hands, struggling with what he wants to say "I'm sorry. I was rude to you a few minutes ago. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I understand. I know you don't really like to talk about personal things too much." His dad said carefully.

"I know you understand but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt you and I'm sorry about that. I don't- I'm not trying to hurt you," Finn said, his voice quivering a little bit.

"Finnegan," His dad walked over to the bed and kneeled down on the floor in front of Finn, trying to look at Finn's face. "Please look at me."

Finn closed his eyes for a minute then lifted his head a bit so he could look at his dad. His dad smiled at him and cupped his cheek with one of his hands.

"I love you. More than anything." His dad said gently "And I understand who you are. I understand you don't talk as openly and freely as the rest of us. I understand and I wouldn't change who you are for anything, okay? Not for anything."

Finn nodded his head, afraid to open his mouth to talk in case he started sobbing. He loved his dad so much and he could never express to him how much it meant to hear him say he understands him.

"I won't lie to you. Sometimes your Pop and I get a little hurt that you won't talk to us but it's only because we love you so much and want to do everything we can to help you and protect you. We've learned, though, that you have your own way of dealing with things and it must work because you're doing okay and as long as you're okay and happy, that's all that matters to us."

Finn swallowed thickly a few times, trying desperately not to start crying like a baby "Thank you. I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know why I'm like this."

" _Nothing_ is wrong with you," His dad grabbed his face in both his hands and looked at him fiercely "Do you hear me? Nothing. You're beautiful and perfect just the way you are. I wouldn't change a thing about you. Neither would your Pop. We love you so much Bub."

Finn sniffled a bit then rolled his eyes and laughed at himself "I love you, too. You're the best parents. I don't think I tell you that enough."

"It doesn't need to be said. We know you love us." His dad said.

"I-I understand there's nothing wrong with me but I'd still like to understand why I find it hard to open up so much," Finn said quietly.

"It's just a part of who you are. You're not completely closed off from everyone or anything. When you were a little boy you were the life of the party. When you were three you'd have conversations with random people while we waited in the queue at the grocery store" His dad laughed "You're still that way now to a certain extent. You're very outgoing with your teammates, you laugh and have fun, you go out with your friends. You're just a little shy when it comes to things that are really personal to you and that's okay. Not everyone is okay with talking about their personal life so freely. Just because your Pop and I do, doesn't mean you have to. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I understand." Finn nodded, reaching up to wipe at his eyes with his fingers.

"Good. You're such a special person, Finn. I hope you know that. I still remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. You were two months early and your Pop and I sat on the plane to Dublin, scared to death, holding on to each other and hoping you would be okay. Then we got to the hospital and found out you had to spend some time in the NICU but you were doing okay. I can't even describe the feeling when we found out you were okay. Then we got to go in and meet you and you were so tiny. Your Pop picked you up and you cuddled against his chest while you held on to my finger with all your might. It was one of the best moments of my life. You were our first baby we got to raise together from day one. There will always be an extra special place in our heart for you because of that."

Finn couldn't stop the tears now, even if he tried, so he just let them fall freely while he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around his dad "I love you, Dad. Not a day goes by that I don't realize how lucky I am that you and Pop adopted me."

"We're the lucky ones, Finny. Me and your Pop. We're so proud of you," His dad whispered against his ear "So proud."

They stayed that way for awhile, until Finn's tears dried and his dad pulled back to kiss him on the forehead "Love you. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah I'm okay," Finn smiled genuinely at his dad "Thank you for talking to me."

"You're welcome," His dad smiled back and stood up "I'll leave you alone now. Your Pop will be back with the girls and the twins soon. He was picking them up from school. I'll make sure you're not bothered."

"Wait a minute. I just realized- what are you doing home at this time of the day?" Finn asked, finally realizing what time it is.

"I took the day off so your Pop and I could go to a doctor's appointment with our surrogate," His dad smiled proudly.

"And everything is going good?" Finn asked hopefully.

"Everything is perfect. Here," His dad opened his phone and showed him the sonogram pictures "There's our baby."

"I'll never get over how real babies look on those things. Do you know what you're having?"

"We do. We're going to announce it at dinner. Rory, Anna and the kids are coming for dinner. However, I don't think anyone will know if I tell you first," His dad said in a conspiratorial voice "It's a girl! You're having another little sister!"

"That's great!" Finn jumped up from the bed to hug his dad again "I can't wait to meet her."

"Well I know she'll fall in love with you the moment she meets you. You're the best big brother in the world, after all."

Finn shrugged, a blush coming across his cheeks "I just like being a brother I guess. Honestly. Playing with the twins or driving Kate and Nori somewhere, I don't mind. It makes me happy."

"I know it does. You always look so happy when you're with them," His dad smiled "Anyway. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

"Thanks Dad. Really." Finn said sincerely.

His Dad smiled at him one more time then he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Once he was alone, Finn crawled onto his bed and lay on his side facing the window. It was starting to rain and he watched as the raindrops hit his window and slowly slid down until they disappeared. They reminded him of tears and of course, right on cue, he feels his own tears build up again and slip from his eyes onto his cheeks. The anger was gone and now he just felt sad, hurt and confused.

He hadn't been lying when he said to Ozzy earlier that he had a lot of time to think about things and maybe Ozzy was just using his Pop as an excuse. The doubts and paranoia were slowly creeping into his head as each day passed by and he had recently given in to it and started to think he just wasn't good enough.

When he looked in the mirror he didn't see anything special. He didn't think he was ugly or anything but he felt like he was just average. Just an average nineteen year old guy that looked like a million other nineteen year old guys in the world. Dark brown hair that curled a bit around his neck if he let it get too long, blue eyes, straight nose, angular jaw, a few freckles across the bridge of his nose that were mostly visible in the Summer when the sun brings them out. Nothing a million other guys didn't have.

So why would a famous rockstar want him when he could have his pick of any gorgeous man or woman in the world? He could walk into a Victoria's Secret fashion show and come out with any one of the models that he wanted. He could have someone on his arm that wasn't shy like Finn, who liked to go out and party all the time, not stay home and watch the telly or read a book.

Those thoughts kept running through his head until he started to think maybe Ozzy saw how Finn was looking at him and decided to make up some stupid story about his Pop so he wouldn't have to tell Finn he just wasn't into him.

Of course he remembered how Ozzy stared at his arse and his lips all the time, how he would gaze into Finn's eyes sometimes when they're talking. Maybe he imagined it all though? Maybe he made it all up in his head because he wanted so badly for Ozzy to like him? But then he remembered how jealous Ozzy was earlier when he thought Finn was with Alexa. Was that real? Was it because he wanted Finn or was it because he simply liked having control over someone?

"God!" Finn groaned into his pillow. He was so confused and getting even more confused the more he thought about it. He had to do something to get his mind off of it all and what better way to do that than hanging out with the twins? They'd be home from school any minute and would be dying to play after being stuck in school all day.

Having decided what he was going to do, he got up off the bed and went down the hall to the bathroom to wash his face. He didn't want to have tear streaks on his face and red eyes when they got home. They were only six and wouldn't understand why Finn had been crying and he certainly didn't want to answer the million and one questions they'd be sure to ask.

He spent ten minutes in the bathroom and when he was satisfied that his face looked normal again, he headed downstairs to wait for his brother's.

  
~~~

  
While Ozzy waited for Jacob to wake up from his nap, he got out his I-pad and called his PA, Rebecca, on Skype. He didn't know how phone company's worked but he figured if he got a new phone here it would have an England phone number so he asked her to over night him a new phone and in the meantime he could be reached on Skype.

While they were at it they went over a few other things and made plans to have her come over to London in two weeks when he had meetings with his record label and management team. He hated that stuff so he liked her to be there so she could take notes and hear anything he missed while he was zoning out.

After they were done, Jacob woke up and came downstairs happy as can be with a big hug for his Papa. Of course he immediately looked around for Finn and pouted when Ozzy told him Finn had to go but he said to tell Jacob he had fun and goodbye.

"Did you have fun with Finn, Jakey?" Ozzy asks, smoothing his sons silky, blonde hair back from his eyes. He really needed a haircut. He'd have to ask Harry where he brings the twins. A kid friendly place.

"Yes!" Jacob cheered, punching his fist into the air "We watch TV and he sing with me and we dance and we colour and-oh! He help me draw. Let me down, Papa!" Jacob squirmed to get down and Ozzy laughed and kissed the top of his head as he set him down on the floor and watched him run toward the coffee table "Look Papa!" Jacob held up a piece of paper "He help me draw the pictures on your arms and then we colour them."

Ozzy took the paper from Jacob and his heart immediately swelled with love and his eyes got a bit misty. On the paper were some of Ozzy's tattoos. Some were obviously drawn by Jacob while the others were clearly drawn by Finn. They were really good. Apparently Finn could draw as well as all the other talents he has.

Running his fingers over the paper, he swallowed and blinked a few times, trying to get a handle on his emotions. Finn. Beautiful, sweet, generous Finn, helped his baby boy draw his tattoos and colour them, then he helped Jacob sign his name at the bottom. It was the single most important piece of art he's ever gotten and he was going to cherish it for the rest of his life.

"This is so good, Jakey. So, so good. I love it. I'm going to keep it with me always and I'm going to take a picture and send it to grandma. How does that sound?" Ozzy smiled down at his son.

"Great!!!!" Jacob screamed and jumped up and down in the air "Can I have a snack, Papa? I'm hungry."

"Of course you can, baby. I'll get you some fruit okay? We'll be having dinner in a few hours so you don't want to eat too much." Ozzy said as he walked into the kitchen with Jacob on his heels.

He stopped at the fridge and opened it up, only to see a bunch of the fruit Ozzy bought yesterday all cut up into little cubes and separated into bowls. "Did Kara cut the fruit up before she left this morning, baby?"

"No," Jacob shook his head as he climbed up into a chair "Finny made me a sandwich for lunch then he cut up the fruit because I tell him I like fruit for a snack and that I like it small."

Ozzy turned around to face the fridge again, biting his lip to keep the tears at bay. God that man was going to kill him. He was so good, so thoughtful. He took such good care of Jacob when Ozzy was too stupid to realize his phone was dead. He cut his fruit up, made him lunch, played with him and tucked him into bed for a nap and Ozzy thanked him for it by accusing him of having sex in his living room while his son was upstairs.

He had to fix things. He had to apologize and make him listen this time. He had to let him know that he wanted to give things a shot with him if he still wanted that too. He knew it might be really hard but after thinking about what Kara said, he realized he had to try. He couldn't sit back and be afraid of Harry's reaction and possibly lose a chance with someone who could very well be the love of his life.

He couldn't do anything at the moment though, because he had nobody to watch Jacob so he decided to just focus on his son for now. He bundled him up in a warm jacket, hat and mittens and they made the short walk to Holland Park where he let Jacob play in the kids playground. Of course Jacob made friends with the other kids within thirty seconds and Ozzy sat back on a bench and watched gleefully as he played.

He got recognized a few times, by some of the mother's and also a few people his own age that were walking through the park. Since Jacob was busy happily playing with the other kids, Ozzy was happy to sign some autographs and take some pictures. All he asked was that people waited a few hours before putting the pictures on Twitter.

After spending an hour at the playground, they walked over to the cafe that's in the park and had dinner together, then as it started to get dark, they walked back to the apartment with Jacob riding piggyback.

The rest of the evening was spent bundled up on the couch after Jacob's bath, watching a Disney movie, and giggling together at the funny parts of the movie.

When Jacob fell asleep around nine-thirty, Ozzy carried him to bed, tucked him in and kissed his head before closing the door half way and heading back downstairs. He picked up his I-pad and took a few deep breaths then went into the FaceTime app so he could call Finn. He didn't have a phone right now but everything was synced into his I-pad so he still had Finn's number. Would Finn actually answer was the big question.

Two hours later, Finn still hadn't answered but he wasn't giving up. He would keep calling all night if he had to. He would call every two minutes until Finn finally picked up.

Finally turned out to be just before midnight. Ozzy wasn't expecting Finn to answer so when his face filled his screen he jumped and nearly dropped the I-pad on the floor.

"What do you want, Ozzy?" Finn asked tiredly.

Ozzy swallowed and looked at Finn through the screen, his heart aching with how much he wanted him, needed him. In three months this British boy has gotten so far under his skin and into his heart and Ozzy knew there was no turning back for him now. He loved Finn. Maybe it was too fast but he loved him . He fell and he fell hard and now he had to do everything he could to convince Finn to give him a chance.

"I just want to talk," Ozzy said, clearing his throat "Please. The way I acted earlier was so stupid and wrong. I just want to apologize and explain. I'm an idiot but I hope you won't hold that against me. Please just come talk to me?"

Finn was quiet, staring at him through the screen with narrowed eyes. It made Ozzy nervous but he didn't look away. He wanted Finn to know he was serious about this. Wanted him to know he wasn't giving up.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Ozzy asked, his face twisted in confusion.

"Why do you want to talk to me?"

"You're important to me, Finn. I like you so much and I handled everything so wrong. I hurt the both of us and I just want a chance to make things right. Please?" Ozzy could hear in his voice that he was begging but he didn't care "Jacob is in bed. If you come back we can talk without any interruption."

Finn didn't say anything again but Ozzy could see the hesitation on his face, see that he was thinking about it.

"Please Finn? I know it's really late and you probably have to get up early. I mean, we could talk tomorrow instead? While Jacob has a nap or is busy playing? We couldn't talk as freely but it's better than nothing. Please Finn. Please."

"Okay. We can talk but- I can't promise anything. I'll listen though. I'll be there in ten minutes," Finn said, then he hung up before Ozzy could say anything else.

  
~~~

  
When Finn showed up at Ozzy's door ten minutes after he hung up, he took a few deep breaths to try and slow his heart, then he knocked softly on the door, knowing Ozzy was expecting him and would be listening for him. He didn't want to ring the bell and risk waking Jacob.

Ozzy opened the door right away and Finn slipped in out of the cold, the smell of Ozzy's cologne assaulting his nose right away. He smelled incredible and looked even better, even after midnight and wearing an old faded t-shirt and a pair of joggers.

"Hey. Thanks for coming," Ozzy said quietly. He turned around and headed into the living room so Finn followed behind him. The lights were turned down a bit and there was an action film playing on the telly, an acoustic guitar taking up most of the couch.

"Sorry." Ozzy scrambled to move the guitar "I was-I was just messing around a bit. Had a tune in my head. Was trying to work it out."

"In between calling me every thirty seconds?" Finn stared at him, his face neutral. He didn't want to give too much away. Didn't want to show how much he cared for Ozzy and make a fool of himself.

"I-" Ozzy's cheeks turned red and he looked at Finn sheepishly "Yeah. I'm sorry. I know it was too much. I didn't know what else to do so I figured I'd just annoy you until you talked to me."

A laugh escaped Finn's mouth and he's immediately mad at himself. So much for remaining neutral. Now Ozzy knows you find him endearing. Great job, Horan.

Ozzy's lips twitched a bit and he looked tentatively pleased with himself for making Finn laugh. It was sweet. Finn couldn't deny that.

"Um. So. I guess I'll get right to it then," Ozzy sat down on the couch and nervously tapped his fingers on his knee "First I need to apologize for my behaviour today. You were right. I was out of line. I was the one who said we couldn't be together so I had no right to be jealous of you with somebody else. I was also out of line when I accused you of fooling around with Alexa on my couch while my son was sleeping upstairs. I know you would never do that. You're one of the few people in this world I trust Jacob with completely. I know you'd never let anyone distract you from taking care of him. I was angry and jealous and I know it's no excuse for my behaviour but it's fact and it's why I said the things I said. I'm really sorry and I hope you know I really don't think badly of you like that. I really was just being a stupid dick "

Finn kept his eyes on Ozzy's face while he spoke, looked into his eyes and watched his body language. He seemed sincere. He seemed to be the Ozzy Finn spent six weeks getting to know. Maybe he really is telling the truth? Maybe he was just angry and jealous and so he lashed out?

"I wanted to apologize for my behaviour first. Now I need to be honest with you about something. I'm a real fucking idiot. A world class tool-"

Finn burst out laughing, unable to control himself as quickly as he did a few minutes ago "You have to be honest about that, do you?"

Ozzy bit his lip, his teeth chewing on his lip ring, making heat pool in Finn's stomach. When Ozzy did that it was the single most sexiest thing Finn has ever seen. He wanted to bite down on Ozzy's lip himself and lick his tongue over his lip ring, feeling the cool metal on his tongue mixing with the taste of Ozzy's mouth.

"Yes," Ozzy's lips quirked up into a small smile "Because it's true. I'm an idiot, Finn. For many reasons but the main reason is for letting you go before I even had you. I've been thinking about this every minute for the past few days. I've been thinking about it differently. Kara said something to me that really resonated with me. "

"Kara?" Finn asked, confusion taking over his face.

"She asked me the other night where you've been. She said the way we looked at each other was so obvious so she didn't understand why you just disappeared. I tried to deny it at first but she knows me so well. It would have been pointless. Don't worry though. She won't say anything to anybody. She's very trustworthy," Ozzy assured him.

Finn swallowed hard and nodded. He wasn't out. His parents, Rory, Alexa and now Ozzy were the only people who knew he liked people, not genders. He wasn't nervous that Kara figured it out though. If Ozzy trusted her then Finn trusted her too.

"Anyway, she made me see it wouldn't be the end of the world if Harry was angry at us for being together. She said it might be hard for a little while but eventually, if we stuck together and stayed strong, Harry would see how much I care for you and at the end of the day, what does Harry want most for his kids?"

"For-for us to be happy and to have someone who loves and takes care of us the way Dad loves and takes care of him," Finn said so quietly it was almost a whisper.

"Yeah. That's what I believe. After knowing Harry for three years I know his kids are the most important thing in the world to him. I know he just wants you to be happy and I-I can do that, Finn. I can make you happy. I know I can. I can be everything you want and everything you need. I'd treat you like fucking royalty because you deserve no less. If Harry can't be happy with that then that's his issue in the end, isn't it? Not ours. We deserve to be together if we want to be, don't we?"

Finn couldn't breathe. What was Ozzy saying? Did he want them to be together? Did he want to date him, be his boyfriend? Or was he reading this all wrong.

"I like you so much, Finn. So much. It's killed me the past six weeks being without you. I shouldn't have stopped us from kissing that night before Christmas. I should have let it happen. I should have shown you how much I care about you. I didn't do that and now it's made you doubt how I feel. It's made you doubt yourself. You broke my heart today when you said guys like me don't like nerds like you. What was that, Finn?" Ozzy reached out and took one of Finn's hands in his, his other hand coming up to cup his cheek " What _was_ that? You don't really believe that do you?"

Finn closed his eyes and bit down on his lip, trying to fight back the tears that were filling his eyes. He doesn't say anything. He can't. He knows if he opens his mouth all that will come out is sobs. Besides, it was true, wasn't it? Guys like Ozzy don't fall for nerds like Finn.

"Oh my God," Ozzy whispered "You do believe that, don't you?"

Finn shrugged, his eyes open again but cast down, unable to look Ozzy right in the eye.

"Finn. Please look at me," Ozzy pleaded, tipping Finn's chin up with his index finger so that Finn would have to look him in the eye "Why do you call yourself a nerd? What _is_ a nerd anyway? Are you a nerd because you're intelligent? Because you wear glasses sometimes? Because you don't go out getting drunk off your face every night and party all the time? If so, why can't a guy like me like a nerd?"

"Why would you?" Finn shrugged "You can have anyone you want. Why would you want me? I'm not exciting at all. I don't really like to go out. I'd rather be babysitting my brothers and sisters on a Saturday night so my parents can go out, rather than go out myself. I'm just...me."

"Yeah?" Ozzy cocked his head to the side, his eyes boring into Finn's "Well from where I'm sitting, just you is pretty amazing."

Finn scoffed "No I'm not. I'm just...ordinary. An ordinary nineteen year old guy."

"That right there is one of the reasons you're so amazing. You don't know that you are. There isn't an arrogant bone in your body. I find that very attractive." Ozzy said passionately "You know what else makes you amazing? You're so kind to everyone and so sweet, especially to your siblings and your nieces and nephew. They all adore you and it's because you take the time to be with them. You play with them, take them out places, help with their homework. A lot of guys your age with six year old brothers wouldn't do what you do. They'd be too concerned with dating and their friends, going to parties. Then there's Jacob. The way you are with him takes my breath away. You came running to take care of him today when I couldn't be reached, you missed a full practice, you helped him draw me an awesome picture and you prepared his snack for when he woke up. You even cleaned my kitchen! I know I certainly didn't wash my dishes before I left this morning. You're so incredible, Finn."

"I don't-" Finn swallowed hard, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He looked into Ozzy's eyes and saw something there, something raw and intense and he couldn't look away. He couldn't look away from the sincerity he saw in Ozzy's eyes and heard in his voice. He meant every word he was saying to Finn and it blew his mind.

"You don't what?" Ozzy reached out for him, his hand curling around the back of Finn's neck.

"I just-I don't know why that stuff makes me amazing. That's just me, it's who I am and nobody has ever told me before that I'm amazing because of it." Finn said, his voice barely above a whisper as his eyes stared down at Ozzy's lips. They were so close right now. Another few inches and their foreheads would be touching and then...and then just another inch and their lips would be touching. He wanted it. He wanted it so badly but did he have the guts to lean in and take what he wanted?

"You haven't been dating the right people then. People are attracted to different things and yeah, physically you're hot as fuck, but your kindness and the way you are with kids is attractive to me. The way your eyes crinkle when you smile, the way you laugh so loud and infectious, the way you really _look_ at me and _listen_ to me when we talk. Nobody has ever listened to me the way you do. You make me feel like every word I say is important, that my feelings are completely valid. You just- you make everything better. I could be having a great day but then you come over and it somehow gets even better. Honestly, I could keep going forever if you want me to," Ozzy chuckled softly.

"No, no. I'm already blushing so much it feels like I'm on a tropical island," Finn said, a grin spreading across his face when he makes Ozzy laugh.

"I like making you blush. Makes you even cuter," Ozzy smiled "Plus you deserve to be told everyday how wonderful you are. Has there really been nobody telling you how amazing you are?"

Finn shrugged one shoulder "My family tells me all the time, my friends too. I've never been in a serious relationship though. Had a girlfriend for a few months last year but it wasn't serious. Had a friends with benefits thing before that. I liked him. We tried to have a relationship but we discovered we just didn't fit."

"Do you think we fit?" Ozzy threaded his fingers through the curls at the nape of Finn's neck "Do you maybe want to give us a shot?"

"I do. I want to. Are you sure? You'll be okay if my Pop doesn't react well?" Finn asked.

"Yeah. I'll be okay. Harry is so important to me but so are you and I really do think Harry will come around when he calms down. Hopefully he won't react badly though."

"So...we're doing this then?" Finn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There's probably a lot we should talk about but yeah, I think we're doing this," Ozzy said, a happy smile on his face. Finn was beaming back and eventually the two of them started giggling like two five year old kids.

Their giggling lasted for a few minutes, stopping and then starting again when they would catch each other's eye. Eventually, though, Finn realized he was the only one laughing and when he lifted his head, Ozzy was staring at him with the fondest expression he's ever seen.

"Hey," Finn said shyly, biting down on his bottom lip.

"Hey you," Ozzy cupped the back of Finn's neck and brought their foreheads together "Been wanting to kiss you since the day we first met. That okay with you?"

Finn nodded once, his lips parting slightly "More than."

Ozzy wasted no time pulling Finn all the way in, his free hand curling around Finn's hip and squeezing gently. Their lips met softly at first, Ozzy taking his time and pecking Finn's lips once, twice, three times before he licked his lips and tilted his head to go in for more.

It was tentative at first, as their lips slowly moved over each other but then Ozzy's tongue flicked across Finn's bottom lip and butterflies erupted in his stomach. He parted his lips so Ozzy could push inside with his tongue and then it was faster, more desperate as their tongues moved against each other. Finn let out a whimper and quickly scrambled so that he was on his knees on the couch and pushing Ozzy down on his back so that he could climb on top.

"Wha-" Ozzy broke the kiss and stared up at Finn with wide eyes " _Christ_. I thought you were shy?"

Finn smirked and ran his hands up over Ozzy's chest then back down so he could get his hands under his t-shirt this time and run his hands all over Ozzy's hot, soft skin "Guess I'm not when I know what I want."

"Fuck," Ozzy muttered. He was looking up at Finn in awe, his tongue subconsciously licking over his bottom lip "Jesus, you're perfect."

"Can I take this off?" Finn played with the hem of Ozzy's t-shirt, letting Ozzy know he wanted to take it off.

"Oh yeah," Ozzy lifted his head and back off the couch a bit and held his arms over his head so Finn could remove the shirt. When it was off, Ozzy lay back down and grinned up at Finn "At this point you can do whatever you want with me . I won't be stopping you."

"Well right now I want to look at you. I've discovered more tattoos." Finn ran his fingers over the tattoos on Ozzy's chest, watching as goosebumps broke out onto every inch of skin he touched "I love tattoos. I find them very attractive. I want to know the story behind every single one of them."

"You will. We've got all the time in the world now right? I'll tell you every story. Whatever you want." Ozzy looked fondly up at Finn, his finger tracing lightly along Finn's jawline.

"I think I already know what this one means," Finn leaned down and pressed a kiss over the small tattoo right over Ozzy's heart "JP. That's your son."

"Yeah. I got that done the very day he was born. I left the hospital for a bit and headed to a tattoo shop. It didn't take long, then I went back and brought him home. Best day of my life so far."

"I bet. He's pretty perfect ya know? You did good. You're still doing so good. It's one of the things I like most about you. Family is important to me and being the best father I can be is important to me. I want to be as good a father as my Dad and Pop someday. As good a father as _you_ are," Finn said.

"Thank you," Ozzy said, his voice breaking a bit with emotion "That means a lot to me. You have no idea."

Finn didn't say anything else. He stared down at Ozzy, his gaze burning once again and when he heard Ozzy's breath hitch and saw his lips part, he ducked his head for another kiss. The swooping in his stomach started again the moment their lips met, making him feel like he was falling. He _was_ falling, though, wasn't he? Had already fallen for this sexy man beneath him.

"Finn..." Ozzy whimpered his name, only fueling Finn's desire even more. He tentatively licked into Ozzy's mouth with his tongue and when Ozzy opened up with a low moan, something snapped inside him and he was frantically meeting every thrust of Ozzy's tongue with his own.

Ozzy's hands moved up over Finn's back, over the rippling muscles and up to his shoulders. He dug his fingers into the muscle there, then moved his hands back down to Finn's hips, squeezing roughly before sneaking his fingers up under his shirt and hiking it up his back.

"Take this off, yeah?" Ozzy breathed against Finn's lips and Finn obliged, pulling back and sitting up, catching the hem of his shirt in his hands and pulling it up over his head. He tossed it onto the floor then he climbed off Ozzy long enough to nudge his legs apart so he could lay down in between them.

Their cocks were perfectly aligned this way and when Finn gently started to roll his hips, Ozzy moaned and slid his hands down the back of Finn's joggers, squeezing his arse and pushing him even more against his cock.

Finn bit his lip and closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sensations take him over. His cock was slowly filling up in his boxers and with every thrust against Ozzy, his breathing picked up more and more.

"Come here," Ozzy whispered, pulling his hands out of Finn's joggers so he could cup his face instead and pull him down into another searing kiss. He bit at Finn's lips and sucked on his tongue, driving Finn crazy and making his hips roll against Ozzy's even faster.

"Shit," Finn panted against Ozzy's lips. He licked his tongue out over Ozzy's lip ring and sucked it into his mouth, the sound Ozzy made when he did so going right to his cock "Fuck. I've been wanting to do that for weeks."

"Yeah?" Ozzy grinned "You got a thing for piercings?"

"I've got a thing for you," Finn smirked, biting at Ozzy's lip again. Ozzy threw his head back and laughed, making Finn smile fondly at him. He had the best laugh, especially when it was uninhibited and in the heat of the moment.

"Finn. Baby," Ozzy whispered against his lips after he kissed him again "Want to make you feel good. Can I...?"

Finn nodded and shimmied his hips to help get his joggers and boxers down over his arse. At the same time, he was pulling Ozzy's own joggers down and then Ozzy's hand was around the both of them, using precome to slick them up. It was still a bit dry, so he brought his hand back up and spit on it then wrapped it back around their cocks and started pumping their cocks.

Finn held himself up over Ozzy, panting and moaning, his hips rocking into Ozzy's hand, pushing his cock into Ozzy's fist at a steady pace "Ozzy...shit that feels so good."

"You're incredible, baby. Can't wait to see you come," Ozzy murmured against his neck. He started kissing over Finn's pulse point, flicking his tongue out over Finn's burning skin. Finn moaned and moved his body faster against Ozzy's. Heat was pooling in his stomach and groin and his breathing picked up. He was panting furiously against Ozzy's shoulder, desperately trying to bring himself over the edge.

"Fuck. _Fuck_ ," Ozzy cursed, moving his hand faster and twisting his wrist just so "Finn. Finn, come on baby." Ozzy whispered in Finn's ear "Come all over my hand and cock."

Finn was close, he was so close. He snapped his hips frantically, slamming his cock into Ozzy's fist and against Ozzy's cock, until he finally let go with a gasp, his come spilling out over Ozzy's hand.

He continued to move his hips until he stopped coming, then he held himself up with one arm and reached down with his free hand, pushing Ozzy's hand away and getting his own hand on Ozzy's cock to jerk him off and bring him the rest of the way over the edge.

Finn watched in awe as Ozzy's eyes closed and his mouth hung open like he was silently screaming. His chest was heaving and his hips were rocking up against Finn. Finally he came to a stop, his body stilling except for his chest moving up and down rapidly as he took in air.

"Finn," Ozzy whined softly, reaching his hand up to cup Finn's neck and pull him down into a filthy kiss full of a lot of tongue, saliva and heavy breathing "Jesus. That felt even better than I imagined."

Finn chuckled against Ozzy's lips and kissed him one last time before pushing his body up and kneeling between Ozzy's legs. He pulled his boxers and joggers back up and stood up, his eyes raking over Ozzy's muscular chest and abs before landing on his cock. He licked his lips and ripped his eyes away, looking back up in time to see the amusement in Ozzy's eyes "Oh shut up, you. I'm going to get us a cloth to clean up. Don't move."

"Oh I wouldn't dream of it," Ozzy laughed, reaching a hand out to smack Finn's arse as he walked by.

Finn bit his lip and kept on walking. There was a smile threatening to take over his face, a very big smile. He'd never felt so happy in his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 6! I hope everyone likes it :) Let me know what you think.
> 
> WARNING: There is a brief mention of a miscarriage in this chapter. If that triggers anybody or brings up bad memories, please be careful and don't read it if you think it's too much for you. There's nothing described in great deal, it's just a mention.

 

  
Ozzy startled awake to the sound of an alarm and went to roll over in his bed when a strong, warm arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him close.

"Careful love, or you'll roll right off the couch," A deep voice with a British accent filled his ear.

A slow smile spread across his face as the memories from the night before came flooding back to him. Finn. The warm, hard body next to him was Finn. They had fallen asleep on the couch the night before after they cleaned up and put their clothes back on, well-not all their clothes. Ozzy had made Finn keep his shirt off so he could run his fingers through his chest hair and trail his palm down over his abs while they cuddled together on the couch. Finn had blushed and ducked his head down to hide a small smile but he did what Ozzy asked and the last thing Ozzy remembers before falling asleep is gripping Finn's bare hip and burying his face in Finn's neck.

"Hey you," Ozzy lifted his head to look into Finn's eyes, his breath catching when he saw the sleepy look on Finn's face. He looked absolutely adorable and Ozzy never wanted to let him go. "What time is it?"

"Must be seven," Finn lifted a hand to stifle a yawn "My alarm went off. It's set for seven."

"You gotta get going to practice?" Ozzy asked. He brushed a hand over Finn's stomach, his thumb getting dangerously close to the waistband of Finn's joggers.

"Yeah," Finn brushed his lips over Ozzy's forehead gently "Would rather stay here with you though "

"Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? We'll be able to talk once Jacob goes to bed?" Ozzy asks, pushing himself up into a sitting position so Finn can get up.

"Sure. I'll be here. Just let me know what time," Finn said while he stood up from the couch and raised his arms over his head to stretch.

Ozzy watched on as every muscle in Finn's back rippled with his movements. He wanted to reach out and touch but he knew if he did, he wouldn't be able to stop himself and he didn't want Finn to miss a second morning of practice for him.

"I don't have a phone. I asked my PA to send me another one. It'll probably be here tonight so just come at six if that's okay?"

Finn looked down at Ozzy with a look of amusement on his face "You have an I-phone right?"

"Yeah? So?" Ozzy gave Finn a confused look.

"So, Ozzy, darling, you can receive texts on your I-pad. I also have an I-phone so they'll come through as an I-message," Finn said, biting down on his lip to keep from laughing.

"Really? Why haven't I noticed? I fucking hate technology!" Ozzy folded his arms across his chest and pouted.

Finn couldn't contain himself anymore, apparently, because he burst out laughing and reached out to pry one of Ozzy's arms away from his chest so he could pull him up off the couch. He pulled him in against his chest and hugged him close, kissing his lips gently "Go get your I-pad for me, love. I'll make sure everything is set up right."

Ozzy hugged Finn back, a warm feeling settling in his stomach and a light blush forming on his cheeks. Love. Finn has started to call him love and he adores it because he's a giant sap. He knows British people call people love all the time but Ozzy knows when Finn says it, it means something. It's much more than a term of endearment. He could feel it.

"Okay. I think I put it up in my bedroom after we hung up last night and you said you'd come over. My charger is up there. I'll be right back," Ozzy said, turning to leave but being pulled back by Finn's grip on his arm.

"Can I go up with you and look in on Jacob? I won't wake him up. I promise," Finn asked, his right hand brushing Ozzy's hair back away from his eyes.

"Yeah. Of course you can. Come on," Ozzy slipped his hand into Finn's and linked their fingers together, leading the way to the stairs. They made their way up quietly then stopped in front of Jacob's room, pushing the door open and slipping in.

Ozzy had to hold back a snort when he saw his little boy in his bed. The blankets were half kicked off the bed and Jacob was on his stomach, spread eagle with his face squished into the pillow. He was wearing a pair of Spider-Man pajama's and one of the legs was pushed up past his knee.

"He's adorable," Finn beamed at him then let go of his hand so he could walk over to the bed. He crouched down and gently brushed his blonde locks away from his face and pressed a kiss to his forehead. After he stood up, he fixed the blankets, making sure Jacob was tucked in nice and warm, then he walked back to Ozzy and they left the room.

Ten minutes later, Finn was fully dressed and at the front door and Ozzy wasted no time wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him into a long, slow kiss. He pushed his tongue into Finn's mouth and was met with a low moan which only urged him to move even closer and keep the kiss going longer.

When they pulled away, they were both breathing hard and Ozzy could definitely feel his cock getting interested. Maybe he'd have time to take care of that before Jacob woke up. It probably wouldn't take long anyway. The thought of Finn's hard body on top of his was enough to get him completely hot and bothered.

"I'll see you tonight, yeah? Text me. Ya know, from your I-pad," Finn looked down at Ozzy, a teasing look on his face.

"Oh fuck off!" Ozzy shoved at Finn's shoulder, trying to look pissed off but he couldn't keep the smile off his face and he expected there was a lot of fond on there too.

"See you tonight, love," Finn laughed and leaned in to kiss him one more time before leaving.

Ozzy shut the door behind him and sighed happily. Finn was the most incredible person he's ever met and he's all Ozzy's. He's the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.

 

~~~

 

Harry is sitting in the nursery upstairs looking through all the clothes they've already accumulated for their baby girl who wasn't due for another two months. He couldn't get enough of it. He found himself in here every few days, folding and unfolding the little outfits, cooing at how pretty they all are. He couldn't wait for little Ryanne Jessica Horan to be born. Couldn't wait to hold a tiny baby in his arms again. He missed having a little one to hold and cuddle and take care of. Most of all he missed seeing Niall holding and cuddling a little baby.

Niall was the best father to their children. He worked a full time job then came home and doted on his kids, he played with them, helped with their homework, sang to them, drove them to footie matches, ballet, piano lessons, stayed up all night when they were sick and then at the end of the day he still had the time and energy to make love to Harry before they went to bed at night. They actually had a very healthy, active sex life, even with six kids and three grandkids around. It got interesting having to sneak around in the middle of the day sometimes but in the end, that's probably what made their sex life so exciting after twenty-four years.

He started to pack all the clothes away again and when he was done he left the room and headed downstairs, taking his phone out of his pocket to text Niall.

**Hi, baby. Was just thinking about you. Love you!**

He entered the kitchen with a smile on his face and started to clean up a bit before he left to meet Rory for lunch. He was just putting the last dishes in the dishwasher when his phone dinged with a text message.

It's a picture of Niall with a sly look on his face and a quirked eyebrow. Right after, another text comes in.

**Oh really? What were you thinking about?**

Harry rolled his eyes and burst out laughing, the sound reverberating around the empty kitchen.

**Not that! I'm meeting Rory for lunch soon. Might have time after though**

There's no response for a few minutes, not until Harry is at the front door pulling on his boots and jacket.

**I miss you. Maybe after lunch you'll have time to come to my office so I can ride you in my chair?**

"Oh my God," Harry muttered, banging his forehead against the doorframe a few times "That man is going to kill me."

He bit his lip and took a deep steadying breath in through his nose before replying.

**Oh I'll be there for sure now. Maybe you should get yourself ready for when I get there**

A minute later, another picture text comes in and it's simply of Niall's hand holding a travel size bottle of lube. The fact he even has lube in his office should tell anyone everything they need to know about how active Harry and Niall's sex life is.

Pocketing his phone, he headed out to his car and made the ten minute drive to the restaurant where he was meeting Rory. After finding a parking spot down the street, he walks briskly toward the restaurant and heads inside to look for Rory. He sees him sitting in a corner after a minute and heads over there with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey!"

"Hi Pop," Rory stood up and hugged him, maybe lingering a second longer than usual. Was something going on? Or did Harry imagine it?

"How's everything going? Did you have practice this morning?" Harry asked as he took his seat and unbuttoned his jacket.

"No, not this morning. I just spent a couple hours in the gym after the kids went to school and Danny went to daycare,"

Harry hums and picks up the glass of water that was already waiting for him. He took a sip then put it back down, leaning forward a bit on his forearms to look at his son "Only three months left before you retire. How do you feel about that?"

Rory leaned back on his side of the booth and scrunched his face up "You sound like a shrink, Pop."

Harry threw his head back and laughed, the sound making the people at the next table over turn their heads to look. If they recognized either Harry or Rory, they didn't let on.

"Maybe I'll start a course at Uni in the Fall," Harry grinned over at his son "You can be my first patient."

"Not bloody likely," Rory scoffed "Uncle Louis would be a good first patient."

"Oh sweet Jesus, no!" Harry slapped a hand to his forehead "Getting inside his head would be traumatizing."

"Yeah. That's exactly why he needs a shrink," Rory laughed.

"I'll tell him you said that," Harry chuckled.

The waitress came over then and he and Rory both ordered sandwiches with chips on the side and she told them it wouldn't be long before she turned around and headed for the kitchen.

"So?" Harry prompted "How are you feeling about retirement looming?"

"I'm doing okay. I took a long time to think about it before I made the decision. Anna and I talked a lot as well. She was my sounding board through it all. In the end I really felt like its time to go. I'm going to be thirty-seven this year and I'm not as fast as I used to be. It's a part of life, especially for an athlete. I've accepted it and I'm truly okay with it. I had one more dream to fulfill and I did that when Finny and I played against each other. Standing out there in midfield and watching him work was incredible. Im really just grateful I've stayed relatively injury free in my career so I could make it this far."

Harry watched Rory's face while he spoke, looking for any signs of distress or like maybe Rory was trying too hard to assure him but he didn't see any of that. Rory truly looked at peace with his decision. Harry was happy for him. Proud of him too.

"Any plans once you retire? Maybe just relax for awhile?" Harry took another sip of his water.

"Yeah. I just want to spend time with my kids. They're still young. I want to enjoy that." Rory said then his expression turned a bit uncertain and Harry tilted his head, studying his sons face "We-we talked about maybe having another baby. Anna is thirty-nine and I know she wants one more before she can't anymore."

"That's great news! Why am I sensing a but coming on?" Harry eyes his son carefully.

Rory's hands were on the table and he kept flipping his fork over and over and looking down, not making eye contact with Harry. Harry reached across the table and placed his hand on top of Rory's to stop his fidgeting.

"What's going on, Rory? Are you okay?"

Rory let out a tiny, humourless laugh and looked up to meet Harry's eyes with tears in his own eyes. The sight immediately hurt Harry's heart. He hated to see any of his kids hurting.

"Pop," Rory took a deep breath and released it slowly "When Danny was six months old we-we found out Anna was pregnant again. It wasn't planned but we were happy of course."

Harry froze, staring across at his son with slowly blinking eyes. His heart was beating rapidly and he felt sick to his stomach. He knew where this was going. There was nowhere else for it to go.

"We were waiting for the three month mark to tell everyone, like normal, but before that Anna went to the hospital with sharp pain in her abdomen. She called me from work and I met her there. After an ultrasound we found out it was one of those Ectopic pregnancies, where the fetus is outside the womb. Anyway," Rory sniffed and shook his head to try and compose himself "We had to terminate. The baby wouldn't survive and the longer we waited, the riskier it was to Anna. It was horrible Pop. I can't even describe how we felt."

"Rory..." Harry's heart was breaking for his son "I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell us? You two went through this alone?"

"We were in shock," Rory lifted a hand up to wipe at his eyes "It's like- it's one of those things you think will never happen to you. It happens to other people but not you. So when it did happen to us, we didn't know what to do with that. We just kind of held on to each other and cried. We didn't really want to talk about it with anyone. Nobody can really understand how we felt unless they went through the same thing. After we finished grieving we just decided to move on and keep our baby in our hearts. We didn't want to share him or her with anyone else. Maybe that doesn't even make any sense to you, I don't know but it is what it is."

"No, I understand what you mean. You and Anna are so strong. As a couple and as individuals. I have no doubt you two were able to work through that together without outside help. I kind of feel bad I didn't notice anything wrong. You can't be that good of an actor. I should have known." Harry said sadly "I'm so sorry, Rory."

"Pop don't," Rory shook his head "Do not beat yourself up. You and Dad have five other kids besides me. You were busy and Anna and I went away for a few days after so she could recover. Remember when you took the kids for two weeks so we could have some time alone? Dad thought Anna had the baby blues and we just didn't correct him."

"I do remember that, yeah," Harry sat back and rubbed a hand over his face in shock "So...you've decided you still want to have another baby but you're worried this could happen again? Am I right?"

"Yeah. We really want another baby but I don't want her to have to go through that again, Pop. Physically or emotionally. She broke my heart when she blamed herself. It was devastating and I-I didn't know what to do for her. I felt so stupid, so useless. It was a tough time," Rory said, keeping his voice low so nobody could hear what he was saying.

"You got through it, though, and I know you Rory, I know you helped her a lot. You're so kind and compassionate and you love her so much. She may not have been able to say it at the time because she was grieving and in pain but I just know you were everything to her during that tough time. Don't sell yourself short, okay? You're an amazing husband. Just like your Dad," Harry smiled over at his son, his smile only getting wider when he saw a small smile tugging at the corners of Rory's mouth.

"You and Dad are my role models. Watching you together, from the very moment I first came into your lives has taught me so much. I learned from you both how to treat my significant other. I learned what a good, solid marriage looked like. So thank you for that. Thank you for showing me how to be the best husband and father I can be. I love you guys. I hope you know that," Rory looked over at Harry, a look of love and gratefulness on his face.

"I love you, Rory. More than anything," Harry said getting choked up. He wiped at his eyes then laughed at himself, gently kicking at Rory's shin under the table "You're making me cry in public! If this shows up on the daily mail they're going to say you were being mean to me and that's why I'm crying."

Rory burst out laughing and it was good to see him smiling again after the serious thing he just told Harry "Like the time when Nori was a kid and she hauled off and threw a block at you? She was mad you weren't paying attention to her and you ended up with a black eye. When the paps got pictures of you like that the Daily Mail said Dad beat you up. I don't think I've ever seen you so angry in my life. You were livid! Sued the pants off them for slander."

"Yeah and I fucking won didn't I? Three million pounds to spread amongst several charities. It turned out all right. Your Dad handled it a lot better than I did " Harry laughed.

"I loved the reaction of your fans the best. They were proper outraged and flooding the Daily Mail website with vicious comments. They were quite protective of you and Dad. It was great!" Rory laughed gleefully, all traces of sadness gone from his face again.

"I do have the best fans. Some have stuck by me for thirty years now. I like to think we all grew up together. Even now they're still there, even though I haven't put out an album in awhile," Harry said, pausing when the waitress arrived with their food. Once they had everything they needed, she left and Rory continued the conversation.

"You're still in the public eye though. You write a lot for other artists, you've done some duets, you did "The Voice" and you're involved in a lot of charities, things that keep you close to home so you can be with your kids." Rory pointed out.

"I might have something else in the works right now. I haven't talked to your Dad about it yet, though, so I can't tell you yet," Harry winked.

"I hate when you do that. How many times do I have to tell you if you can't tell me something just don't say anything at all? You know I hate waiting," Rory glared across the table at Harry.

"Eat your lunch," Harry laughed and pointed his fork at Rory.

Rory grumbled but dug into his food and Harry just watched him for a minute with a fond look on his face. His son was doing okay in life. He was doing more than okay. He had a family of his own now and he took care of them and loved them like a good husband and father should. Obviously there was some heartbreak involved for Rory and Anna along the way but they handled it and they were strong as ever. He had no doubt Rory would get over his worry about Anna being pregnant again and in a year or two Harry and Niall would have another grandchild.

He couldn't be more proud.

  
~~~

 

Niall was sitting at his desk unsuccessfully going over some expense reports while he waited for Harry to show up at his office. He didn't open himself up right away after he and Harry stopped texting. He knew his husband would be at lunch with their son for at least an hour so he held off for awhile but that only managed to turn him on even more.

All he could think about was what was to come when Harry got there and he was squirming in his seat and unable to concentrate because of it. The thought of Harry's hands all over him and his cock inside of him, made heat rush throughout his body making his cheeks flush and his neck feel warm under the collar of his dress shirt.

Looking at his watch, he figured Harry would be there soon, so he got up and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He took the bottle of travel sized lube from his pocket, unzipped his trousers and let them fall to the floor, then stuck his hand down the front of his boxers to cup his dick. He wasn't hard yet but he was definitely aroused and knew it would only take a few strokes before his dick perked up.

After a few moments of tugging on his dick, he dropped his boxers onto the floor with his trousers and put one foot up on the toilet seat to give him better access to his hole. He covered two fingers with lube then slowly got to work stretching himself open. He had to take his time and make sure he did it right because he didn't bottom very often and wasn't used to being stretched. Also, his husband had a huge cock and he'd rather not be in pain while having sex with him.

After five minutes of pumping one finger in and out of himself, he felt loose enough to fit two so he added a bit more lube and slid two fingers inside. It was tight at first but he got his fingers moving and stretching and soon he had enough room to curl his fingers up against his prostate. The moment he found it, his breath hitched and his heart rate went up a little. His dick became even more interested so he used his free hand to grab onto it again and started to pump himself, the feeling of his fingers hitting his prostate and his hand curled around his dick, almost taking his breath away. The two different sensations were incredible and before he even realized it, he was circling his hips a little while pumping his two fingers inside himself faster.

"Niall? You in here?" He heard Harry's voice coming from outside in his office and his head whipped around toward the door. He removed his fingers from his arse and took his foot down off the toilet seat so he could walk over and unlock the bathroom door.

"I'm in here darlin'" He called out with a smirk on his face, he walked over to the sink and bent over so when Harry walked in he'd have the perfect view of his arse.

He didn't have to wait long. He heard Harry outside the door and looked over his shoulder so he could see him as he walked in.

The look on his face put a huge grin on Niall's face and made his stomach swoop. He had to admit, he loved turning his husband on, loved that he still could after all these years.

"Well," Harry says, somehow keeping his voice calm, even though the look on his face said he was anything but calm "This is quite the sight."

Niall looked at Harry from underneath his eyelashes, making sure to stick his bum out a little more and sway it from side to side, teasing him "This is what you wanted, right? Me to get myself ready for you?"

"Yeah," Harry whispered, his eyes never leaving Niall's as he walked up behind him and slid both his palms down over Niall's arse cheeks, squeezing at the bottom. He buried his face in the back of Niall's neck, his hot breath leaving goosebumps "I love you so much. So, so much."

Niall sucked in a breath and ducked his head, his chest swelling with love for his husband "Show me."

Harry's large hands came up and gripped Niall's hips, quickly turning him around in his arms so they were face to face. He ducked his head to kiss Niall, stopping right before their lips met and just taking Niall in, staring into his eyes and taking slow, steady breaths.

Niall's lips parted in anticipation, his heart started beating rapidly. Jesus Christ it was like he was a teenager again, waiting for his first kiss. After twenty-four years he still hasn't figured out how Harry manages to do this to him.

When their lips met, Niall immediately melted against Harry, his arms coming up around Harry's neck. He was completely pliant in Harry's arms and that was okay because he trusted Harry, knew he'd never hurt him, never take advantage of him. It's because of that trust that Niall is able to give all of himself to Harry all the time.

Harry's lips were warm and tasted a little salty, probably from whatever he had just had for lunch. They also tasted like Harry, how Harry has always tasted and it always turns Niall on a bit when he thinks about how nobody but him has tasted Harry in a very long time.

With that thought in his head, he slipped his tongue inside Harry's mouth, teasing it against Harry's own tongue until Harry had enough and took control, pulling Niall tighter up against him and pushing his tongue against Niall's more urgently. Niall moaned and bucked his hips against Harry's, hoping Harry would get the message that he wanted him and he wanted him now.

"Still wanna do this in your chair?" Harry pulled his lips off Niall's and began kissing along his jaw.

"It's why I bought the bigger chair isn't it?" Niall tipped his head to the side to give Harry more access.

Harry burst out into muffled laughter against his neck, playfully sinking his teeth in for a second "We're shameless. We really are. I mean, we actually had a conversation about getting a bigger chair in your office so we could fuck in it."

Niall threw his head back, cackling loudly and hoping nobody could hear him from where they were inside the bathroom "We are _ridiculously_ shameless. I fucking love it."

"Come on. Let's get this party started, shall we?" Harry grinned and started unbuttoning his shirt. Niall helped by undoing his jeans and before they knew it Harry was gloriously naked and they had moved into the office where Harry now had him bent over the desk to finish opening him up.

"Gotta be quiet out here, yeah? No noise," Harry whispered while he pumped three fingers inside of Niall.

Niall bit down on his lip and moved back against Harry's fingers. He loved this, loved when they had to be quiet because as much as he loves when they can be loud, he likes when he can just hear Harry's harsh breathing, the quiet moans in the back of his throat, or the tiny gasps of breath Harry lets out whenever Niall thrusts into him. Just thinking about it is making him even more horny and he has to flip himself around so that he's facing Harry and making Harry's fingers slip from his arse. He rips one of the desk drawers open, grabs a condom, and slides it down over Harry's cock all while Harry watches on with a shocked look on his face.

"Sorry," Niall smiles sheepishly "I just really want your cock right now."

"Come on then," Harry smirks and gets his hands on his hips to help Niall up onto his lap. Niall sets his knees down on either side of Harry's lap, straddling him, then he lowers himself down on Harry's cock, taking his time before he's fully seated.

"I desperately want to make a cowboy joke right now," Harry giggles, his fingers digging into Niall's hips.

"Don't you dare!" Niall whisper shouts, trying desperately to hold in his loud cackle of a laugh. He can feel it bubbling up in his chest and Harry must sense it too because he surges forward to kiss Niall senseless, thrusting his hips up at the same time, moving his cock around in Niall's arse. Niall moans into the kiss, the sound muffled against Harry's lips thankfully.

Harry moves his hands down to grip Niall's arse and starts thrusting up inside him, bouncing Niall around in his lap a bit. Niall throws his head back and moans quietly, his body going pliant and completely letting go.

"You look so good like this," Harry murmured, his lips grazing Niall's ear "So hot."

Niall digs his fingers into the muscle of Harry's shoulders and holds on tight, rolling his hips to meet every thrust Harry made. Both their breathing was turning heavy and Niall could feel the temperature rising in the room, could feel the sweat forming on his forehead and in the space between his shoulder blades. It was so fucking hot. The whole thing was so fucking hot.

"Don't stop," Niall wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders and nudged their lips together for a kiss "Don't fucking stop."

Harry bit down on Niall's bottom lip then pushed into Niall's mouth with his tongue, kissing him frantically as his hips started to move faster. Niall was bouncing around a lot in Harry's lap but he wasn't afraid of falling. Harry was holding on to him, his arms wrapped around Niall's body to keep him close. He trusted Harry completely. Alway has. To be honest, he has never trusted any of his partners as much as he trusts Harry. He bottomed, sure, but he never completely let his guard down to the point where he just let go and gave control of his body over to someone else. Not even Aiden.

"Baby," Harry's voice came out sounding like a whine "I love you. You're so perfect."

He really wasn't. Not even close. He wasn't about to argue though. He was too busy getting his brains fucked out. Pleasure pouring through his veins every time Harry's cock thrust against his prostate.

Niall pulled Harry in for a kiss again, ravaging his mouth with his tongue until they both can't breathe and have to pull back, gasping. Harry pressed his forehead against Niall's and continued to thrust up inside Niall, his movements becoming erratic and desperate as he pushed toward his orgasm.

"Niall!" Harry gasped out "Fuck baby! I'm-I'm so close. You feel too good. So tight for me."

"Yeah?" Niall sounds breathless as he squeezes his arse around Harry's cock, teasing him "You like that, do ya?"

"Oh fuck," Harry threw his head back and cursed, his mouth hanging open obscenely. He had the perfect mouth, the perfect lips. Niall wanted to kiss him until his lips were bruised.

Niall kept one arm wrapped around Harry's neck while his other hand moved down between their bodies to grip his cock. It was red and dripping precome from the tip, almost painful from being untouched for so long, but in a good way. He started to tug on it while continuing to roll his hips, his breathing coming in gasps as he got closer and closer to his orgasm.

"Harry," Niall breathed "You're so good darlin' so good to me."

Harry buried his face in Niall's neck and made a noise that sounds like a whimper, his own breathing coming in gasps, his movements becoming erratic "I only ever want to make you feel good. Only you, baby. I love you."

Niall groaned and his hand moved over his cock so fast it looked like a blur. He felt the burning sensation in his stomach, the pleasure pulsing through his body and then his body was tensing up and he stopped moving on Harry's cock as come started shooting from his dick onto his hand and Harry's stomach.

"Baby," Harry moaned against his neck, his hips slowing down as he came inside the condom inside of Niall.

Niall rode out his orgasm to the very end then collapsed forward into Harry's chest. Their arms wrapped around each other and their chests heaving as they tried to catch their breath. Niall pressed his lips to Harry's sweaty chest, kissing warm skin over and over again.

"I don't think I can move for awhile," Harry spoke into Niall's hair, his fingers lazily combing through the hair at the base of Niall's neck "Can you work on my lap?"

Niall barked out a laugh and pushed himself back from Harry's chest to tenderly kiss Harry's lips "Think you're a bit too much of a distraction, darlin'. Especially with your cock in my arse."

Harry groaned in protest when Niall finally climbed off his lap and tried to stand up on shaky legs. His legs had been bent for awhile and he was fifty-one years old. His joints were bound to be a bit creaky. Thank God Rory wasn't here right now because he would never let Niall live it down when he saw him limp across his office to the bathroom. Harry's cackling laughter was bad enough.

He took a moment in the bathroom to clean himself up and pull his boxers and trousers back on, then he brought the cloth out to Harry, along with his clothes and watched as his gorgeous husband cleaned up and got himself dressed.

"I don't have to pick the twins up for a little while. Mind if I hang out here on the couch while you work? Like watching you work " Harry said as he helped Niall back into his dress shirt and did up the buttons for him.

"'Course you can. You're welcome here always," Niall said softly, a fond look on his face "I love you."

Harry grinned wide and leaned in to kiss Niall one last time before walking over to the couch and sprawling out with his legs hanging over the end.

He was asleep in less than a minute.

  
~~~

  
Finn had a slight skip in his step as he made his way up to Ozzy's door at six o'clock that evening. He held a medium size box in one hand and uses his free hand to knock twice on the door. It only takes about thirty seconds before he hears someone on the other side of the door, flipping the lock open and then there is Ozzy, opening the door wide for him with a huge smile on his face.

Finn took a moment to look at him and as usual he looked good. Finn never knew before that he had a thing for the pop/punk rocker look. He'd never really thought about it before Ozzy came along and every time Finn saw him he looked sexy as fuck.

He was wearing a pair of dark blue ripped jeans that fit him like a glove, a studded belt and a black Sex Pistols band t-shirt that showed off his broad shoulders and muscular biceps perfectly. He was wearing a few more rings than normal on his fingers and one of the barbell piercings in his eyebrow was different. Instead of a plain silver colour, this one was pink. Bright pink. Only Ozzy could pull that off. Fuck, Finn was really, really falling hard for this guy.

"Hi," Finn said as he stepped over the threshold. He put the box that was in his hand on the table just inside the door and turned around to face Ozzy again, only to find himself pushed up against the door.

"Hi baby," Ozzy whispered, tilting his head up slightly to press his lips against Finn's "Been thinking about you all day."

"Yeah?" Finn grinned against his lips, kissing them again quickly, before he continues "Good things?"

"Oh you have no idea," Ozzy murmured, pulling back so he could look into Finn's eyes. He bit his lip and sucked his piercing into his mouth, playing with it like he always does, only this time, Finn suspected it was completely on purpose "Maybe later, when we're alone, I could show you a bit of what I was thinking about "

Finn let his head fall back against the door and groaned softly. His mind immediately conjuring up several images of what he'd like Ozzy to show him later. "You're a tease."

Ozzy laughed and slid his hands around Finn's waist to stick them into Finn's back pockets "Don't talk to me about teasing. Your whole body is a tease. I want to touch every part of you but I don't know where to start."

"Really?" Finn quirked an eyebrow in amusement "Because it feels like you've got your hands all over my arse at the moment."

Ozzy's eyes widened comically and he threw his head back, laughing loudly at Finn's comment "That was cheeky, right? I'm getting good at figuring this cheeky business out "

"I think you're the one who's a bit cheeky at the moment. In fact I'd say you've got two big handfuls right now," Finn said, struggling to get the sentence out through his giggles.

"Oh my God!" Ozzy managed to wheeze out as he doubled over in laughter, his hands on his knees.

"Papa?" Finn heard Jacob's voice coming from inside then heard his footsteps as he got closer "What you laughing at?" The little boy asked, gasping when he came around the corner "Finny!!! Finny's here!!"

"Hi Jacob!" Finn managed to get out in between his giggles. He opened his arms and the little boy came flying at him so hard Finn nearly smacked his head against the door "Woah!! You're awfully hyper this evening."

"I'm excited!" Jacob yelled, wrapping his arms around Finn's neck "Papa said you were coming over tonight and we could all play together."

"I would love to play with you and your Papa. What would you like to play hmm? Anything you want," Finn bounced Jacob on his hip a bit, delighting in the boys giggles.

Jacob opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, then opened it again, clearly so excited that he didn't know what he wanted to do first. He was just so bloody cute! Ozzy wasn't the only one in that family that Finn is falling for.

"You said you wanted to play with the Soccer ball Finn got you for Christmas, didn't you?" Ozzy put a hand on his sons back, gently coaxing him now that he was finished laughing.

"Oh yeah! We play soccer! And Leapfrog! I got lots and lots of games on leapfrog. We can play together," Jacob said with a big smile on his face.

"Is that the tablet with all the learning games on it?" Finn asked Ozzy quietly. Ozzy nodded and Finn turned his attention back to Jacob "That sounds like a plan. I'd love for you to show me all the cool things you've learned."

"Okay! Down now please," Jacob wiggles his body, indicating he wanted to get down "I go finish playing with my cars. They all have to go in their parking spot before it's time for dinner."

Finn put Jacob back on the ground and watched as he ran back around the corner to the living room. He turned to Ozzy after a minute with a look of disbelief on his face "He has to park his cars? Jesus Christ he's adorable! He's beyond adorable. Did you tell him he has to do that?"

Ozzy laughed, a huge smile on his face because they were talking about his son "Not exactly. Since he's been old enough to understand, I've been teaching him if he wants to play with his toys he has to clean them up as well. One day he parked all his cars in a neat row and asked me if it was okay if he parked them. I was cool with it as long as the parking lot isn't in the middle of the living room floor for me to trip over."

"Oh my God," Finn shook his head slowly "I can't take it. He's so sweet, adorable and brilliant! I want one like that."

Ozzy's eyebrows shot up and he barked out a laugh "We've been dating for a day. Are you asking to have my babies already, Horan?"

Finn's cheeks turned red and he looked at Ozzy sheepishly "Um. I can see how it would look like that but no. I just meant, like, in the future. Someday. I would want a kid like him. Someday. Oh God, can you please stop me now?"

Ozzy laughed and pulled Finn into a hug, kissing his neck lightly "I'm just teasing you, baby. I knew what you meant."

Finn didn't respond, just kissed Ozzy's cheek below his ear and took in the smell of his shampoo and cologne. He smelled fucking amazing.

"Come on. Let's head into the kitchen. Don't want the first meal I ever cook for you to burn do I?" Ozzy stepped back and took Finn's hand to lead him into the house "What's in that box you brought, by the way?"

"Oh," Finn grabbed the box from the table and held it against his side "I packed a box full of condoms and lube. Enough for a year. I plan on taking you hostage."

"Fuck off!" Ozzy laughed loudly, his whole face lighting up with his smile. Finn didn't mind. He loved it when Ozzy laughed and smiled.

"It's vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting. I know you said they're yours and Jacob's favourite so I wanted to bring some for dessert. Maybe don't tell Jacob yet. If he's anything like Charlie he won't eat his dinner if he knows there's cupcakes " Finn squeezed Ozzy's hand as they walked through to the kitchen. They briefly looked in on Jacob and after seeing him happily playing with his cars, they walked into the kitchen.

"You're amazing. Thank you for thinking of us like that," Ozzy stopped by the table and stroked a thumb over Finn's cheekbone "God. I really can't stop touching you."

"I'm not complaining," Finn shrugged, a playful smile on his face "What are you cooking?"

"Do you like vegetables?" Ozzy asked.

"I do. I eat a lot of them. They're good when you have to keep yourself in shape,"

"Good, because I'm making Chicken Stir Fry. Lots of vegetables." Ozzy said while stirring the rice "It'll be done in fifteen minutes I'd say."

"Okay. Do you want help with anything?"

"Nah. I'm good. I actually like cooking. I find it relaxing. My sister thinks I'm nuts. Cooking stresses her out apparently." Ozzy snickered.

"I'll go hang out with the little man for a bit then. I want to see this car parking," Finn grinned.

"Go on," Ozzy tipped his head toward the living room "He'll love that."

"Call us when you're done," Finn leaned in and kissed Ozzy's lips quickly then he turned around and headed out to the living room.

"How's it going in here?" Finn asked Jacob when he entered the living room.

"Good!" Jacob smiled wide at him then returned his attention to his cars.

There were all sorts of vehicles. Regular cars, Jeeps, dump trucks, army trucks, he had them all and he was indeed parking them all in a row. Finn adored his little brother's fiercely but boy did Jacob give them a run for his money.

He went over and sat down on the floor next to Jacob, listening to the little boy as he babbled on about this car or that car. He was very animated while he talked. Finn loved it.

Before he knew it, Ozzy was calling them into the kitchen and he and Jacob both went into the bathroom off the kitchen to wash their hands before sitting at the table. Ozzy helped Jacob into his chair and placed a smaller plate in front of him with all the chicken and vegetables cut up into small pieces for him. His drink of choice was of course, apple juice.

"Have a seat," Ozzy waved Finn into a seat and put a steaming hot plate in front of him. It looked delicious "Are you religious? We're not but we can wait if you say grace before you eat or whatever."

"Nope. Not religious. My parents were never into church and stuff like that. In our house it was more about acceptance and treating everyone as equals. We believe in God, we just don't identify with any one religion." Finn explained.

"That sounds really nice. Your parents are great," Ozzy commented as they both dug into their food.

"They're the best," Finn agreed. He slid a piece of chicken with some veggies and rice into his mouth and hummed appreciatively "This is really good, Ozzy. Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it," Ozzy slid his foot around Finn's ankle under the table. They both beamed at each other then ducked their heads to eat their food in silence for a few minutes.

"How do you like England, Jacob!" Finn asked as he watched the little boy unsuccessfully try to put a piece of chicken on his fork along with a piece of broccoli.

"What's England?" Jacob asked, not looking up from his plate, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Ozzy snorted, nearly choking on a piece of chicken in the process "You're in England, Jakey."

"I am?" Jacob looked up when he finally gave up and decided to eat the chicken and broccoli separately, his face full of confusion.

"Yes baby," Ozzy chuckled "Remember how we took an airplane to get here? It's because we had to fly over the ocean to get to a whole new country."

"Oh." Jacob stared at Ozzy for a minute, clearly thinking very hard, then he turned to Finn and his whole face lit up "Is that why you talk funny, Finny?"

"Jacob!" Ozzy tried to scold his son but he was still laughing. Finn couldn't blame him. He was laughing pretty hard himself "He doesn't talk funny. He has a different accent that's all."

"Oh. Well I like it. Sounds nice," Jacob said, digging his fork back into his food.

"Yeah," Ozzy smiled warmly at Finn "I like it, too, Jakey."

  
~~~

  
After dinner, Finn and Ozzy spent a couple of hours playing with Jacob. They kicked the soccer ball around a bit and played some games on leapfrog. At half eight, Ozzy took the little boy upstairs for his bath before bedtime and Finn's heart melted for what felt like the fiftieth time that night when Jacob gave him a goodnight hug and smiled sweetly at him before heading upstairs with Ozzy.

While Finn waited for Ozzy to put his son to bed, he wandered into the kitchen and decided to clean up everything from dinner. He offered to help earlier but Ozzy told him to leave it and he'd clean it up after Finn left or in the morning. Finn didn't see the point. He had to wait anyway so he might as well make himself useful.

He started by putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. It was already half full so he fit what he could, turned it on, then put the rest in the sink with some dish liquid and warm water and got to work.

He made quick work of the few dishes that were left and when he was done he wiped down the table and counters with a clean cloth. He was just putting the container full of leftovers in the fridge when he heard Ozzy walk into the kitchen and felt strong arms wrap around him from behind.

"What am I gonna do with you, hmm?" Ozzy said quietly in his ear "Always cleaning my kitchen."

"I don't like to sit around when there's something that needs to be done, I guess," Finn said, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Well I won't argue with you. I know it won't do any good," Ozzy nuzzled his nose against Finn's neck then rested his chin on Finn's shoulder, turning his head a fraction to press a light kiss to Finn's neck. "Thank you, though."

"It's no problem. I wanted to do it. I don't mind cleaning anyway," Finn said, letting his body relax into Ozzy's, soaking up the warmth.

"How about a beer with me? We should probably talk a bit, yeah?" Ozzy reached around Finn to open up the fridge again.

"Okay," Finn reached inside the opened refrigerator and took out two beers and handed one back to Ozzy. Ozzy let him go and Finn turned around to kiss his boyfriend softly on the lips. He definitely agreed. They needed to talk. Make sure they were on the same page where their budding relationship is concerned.

Ozzy smiled at him and wrapped an around around his waist as they walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. They sat down on the couch, Finn sitting in the middle of the couch and pulling Ozzy down onto his lap, hugging him close. "This okay?"

"This is more than okay," Ozzy said, smacking a kiss to Finn's cheek then pulling back with a wide grin.

"Good. Where should we start then?"

"Well," Ozzy thought for a moment "I think we need to talk about how discreet we need to be. I'm out. I was out before 'The Voice'. I know you're not, though, and the first thing I need you to know is that I don't care. I won't do anything to out you and I don't mind keeping things on the down low for awhile. To be honest, as much as I want to post your picture on Twitter and brag about you, I also just want you to myself for a bit. We're both in the public eye, we won't get to have this to ourselves for very long. I want to embrace it while we can."

"Yeah. I want that too. I just want to be with you before everyone has an opinion about it. I'm only out to my parents, Rory, Alexa and Brian. My sisters and brothers don't know yet. I didn't think it was fair to ask them to keep it a secret." Finn explained.

"Who's Brian?" Ozzy asked.

"A teammate and friend of mine. We had a friends with benefits thing for awhile. We tried dating but it didn't work out. We're better as friends "

Ozzy stayed quiet for a beat too long and Finn moved them around so he could look at his face, wondering what made him become so quiet "What?"

"What?" Ozzy stared at Finn, trying to act like nothing was wrong but Finn could tell there was obviously something.

"Why are you pouting? Did you think I was some innocent virgin?" Finn teased him, a huge grin on his face.

"No!" Ozzy slid off Finn's lap so that his back was in the corner of the couch and his legs were still draped over Finn's lap "I just didn't know your friends with benefits was a teammate. Who gets to see you everyday. Probably naked."

"Oh my God!!" Finn laughed loudly "You're jealous! You're actually jealous!"

"Of course I'm jealous! I haven't seen you naked yet! I don't want your ex seeing you naked everyday in the locker room! He's probably staring at you and wanting you back in his bed again," Ozzy folded his arms across his chest, a grumpy look on his face.

"No he isn't. He doesn't even play on first team yet. I got called up for August. He didn't. So he hasn't seen me naked in a long time and if he did, it wouldn't matter. He wouldn't be trying to get me back. It will never work between us. That's why it ended." Finn tried to reassure Ozzy.

"Oh. Why didn't it work out between you?" Ozzy asked curiously.

"He's too afraid of what people think of him. He's afraid of the homophobia that still exists in football. He doesn't want anyone to know he's gay and he has no plans to come out until after he retires. I don't want that. I want to live my life and be happy. I haven't come out yet because I had no reason to. If things get serious between us and you're okay with it then I will be coming out. I'm not hiding our relationship forever." Finn says, rubbing his hand up and down over Ozzy's leg.

"The homophobia doesn't bother you?" Ozzy unfolds his arms and reaches a hand out for Finn to grab and link their fingers together.

"It bothers me. My parents raised us to respect everyone. To treat everyone as equals because they are. Nobody is better than anyone else and it doesn't matter who they love. I don't know any other way so yeah, it bothers me, but not enough to make me hide and deny who I am. I always planned on coming out eventually, especially if I met someone I wanted a serious relationship with and that someone happened to be a man." Finn explained "I won't do it yet. I want some time alone with you first. Just like you want."

"Whatever you want is fine by me. Like I said, I'm already out. I've already dealt with homophobic people. They don't bother me in the least. I don't know where this is going with you but I do know I like you a lot and I want to see where things will go. You make me happy. I know we just got together last night but you made me happy before that, when we were just friends and then when we didn't talk for all those weeks it hurt so much. I really think we've got a good shot. I really do." Ozzy brushed a hand over Finn's cheek, threading his fingers into his hair.

"I think we do, too. I think we should keep our relationship quiet for awhile though. I agree with you about that. You're really famous and even I get a lot of media attention because of footie. The minute we become public as a couple, it's probably going to become really hectic. I want to spend as much time with you as I can before that happens," Finn said, closing his eyes and leaning into Ozzy's touch.

"I'll have to tell Kara. She already guessed how we felt about each other and she'll be back here eventually, depending on what happens with her Dad. This is the only place we can really be alone and she lives here so she'll have to know. She can help us by taking care of Jacob so we can spend time together."

"That's fine. If you trust her then so do I," Finn opened his eyes and turned his head to look into Ozzy's eyes "I'll probably tell Rory. He already knows everything. He's the one I go to when I need to talk. He won't tell anybody."

Ozzy smiled close mouthed at Finn, the look in his eyes a fond one. Finn looked back at him, his own smile tugging at his lips "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Ozzy shrugged and glanced down at his lap shyly "I just like looking at you, I guess. You're so- I've never met anyone as attractive as you before and- and it's not just how you look physically. There's just something about you I can't seem to put into words. Saying you're an incredible person isn't enough. I want to say more but the words just aren't there."

Finn looked into Ozzy's eyes while he spoke, saw the emotion there, saw the heat, the passion. He didn't need Ozzy to say any words because he could see the way he felt in his eyes. He felt the same way himself. It was overwhelming but in a good way.

"Come here," Finn whispered, letting go of Ozzy's hand to reach up and place his hands on either side of his neck, his thumbs brushing over his jaw. He pulled him in and kissed him slowly, sliding his tongue over Ozzy's bottom lip and flicking it teasingly over his lip ring. Ozzy sighed into the kiss and Finn smiled slightly before slipping his tongue inside Ozzy's mouth, kissing him slow and with so much feeling and passion. He wanted to show Ozzy just how much he liked him, how much he adored him.

"Shit," Ozzy cursed. He pulled back, his eyes wide and shining brightly, his lips slick from Finn's kisses "Finn..."

"Yeah?" Finn swiped his thumb over Ozzy's bottom lip, letting it linger there until Ozzy surprised him and pursed his lips around his thumb, sucking the tip into his mouth and swirling his tongue around it. Finn's breath hitched and his cock started to fatten up in his jeans. He couldn't take his eyes off Ozzy as he took Finn's whole thumb into his mouth and slowly sucked on it, fire burning in his eyes. "Fuck. Oz..."

Ozzy let Finn's thumb fall out of his mouth and licked his wet lips, looking at Finn with a question in his eyes "Do you want to go upstairs? We can go to my bedroom and lock the door. I could show you what I've been thinking about all day."

Finn has no idea what the sound was that came out of his mouth. It was meant to be a 'yes' but all he heard was a strangled sound and maybe a whimper. Whatever it was, it was enough for Ozzy because he was jumping up off the couch, pulling Finn up by the hand and dragging him behind him as he walked quickly toward the stairs.

When they got to the top, Ozzy briefly stopped to look in at Jacob. Seeing that he was still sound asleep, he closed the door almost all the way, then quietly led Finn to the end of the hall and into his spacious master bedroom.

"I want you so much, baby," Ozzy whispered as soon as he closed the door and locked it behind him "You have no idea what you've been doing to me since the first time I saw you. My hand is never enough when I'm thinking about you."

Finn cursed and grabbed Ozzy roughly, pushing him up against the wall and attacking his lips with his own. They kissed frantically, their tongues tangling inside each other's mouths, their teeth clashing and biting at swollen lips.

"God Finn. Just- I need to touch you. I need to get my hands on you," Ozzy panted, his hands quickly opening the button on Finn's jeans and pulling the zipper down. He pushed the jeans down Finn's legs and immediately cupped Finn through his boxers.

"Yeah," Finn moaned lowly, bucking his hips slightly, pushing his cock into Ozzy's hand even more "Please. Want you to touch me."

Ozzy moved in to kiss Finn's neck while continuing to stroke Finn through his boxers. He pressed open mouthed kisses along his jaw, his tongue flicking out at the stubble there before moving down to his neck and sucking at his pulse point for a second. He didn't leave a mark, just moved on down to his collarbones, licking and nibbling, eliciting sounds from Finn that Finn is pretty sure he's never heard himself make before.

"You're so hot, Finn. My God," Ozzy murmured against his neck before stepping back a bit and lifting Finn's shirt over his head. He tossed it on the floor then lead Finn by the hand over to the bed and pushed him down on his back, staring at him laying there in only his boxers. "Jesus Christ."

Finn looked up at Ozzy, breathing heavily, his cock hardening even more at the look in Ozzy's eyes. It was pure unadulterated lust and Finn has never felt so wanted in his life.

"Look at you. How did I get so fucking lucky? You're perfect. So fucking perfect," Ozzy said, his eyes roaming over every inch of Finn's body. He licked his lips when his eyes rested on Finn's hard cock in his boxers and Finn's stomach filled with a burning need and desire. He needed Ozzy to touch him. Right now.

"Come on, Oz. Touch me. Do something. Please," Finn didn't even recognize his own voice. It was raspy and thick with desire and he could tell it was affecting Ozzy because he bit his lip and closed his eyes for a moment before he sprung into action and quickly removed his shirt and jeans and climbed on top of Finn in just his boxers.

Finn groaned at the sight of him. He was gorgeous, his body covered in tattoos and all toned muscle. His chest and shoulders were broad and he had a flat, toned stomach, a trail of hair disappearing into his boxers. He was so fucking hot and Finn was so fucking hard, he didn't know how long he was going to last.

"Hey," Ozzy hovered over him, their lips almost touching. Finn looked into his eyes and Ozzy smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling and, God, Finn was so in love with him.

"Hi," Finn whispered back, then he tipped his head up and kissed Ozzy passionately, his hands moving all over Ozzy's muscles on his back and broad chest, feeling the muscles ripple underneath his fingers.

Ozzy broke the kiss after a few minutes and moved down Finn's body, kissing over his chest, swirling his tongue over his nipples and sucking them into his mouth. His lip ring brushing across his nipple made Finn moan and tip his head back, his hips bucking up against Ozzy's. He felt Ozzy grin against his skin then he moved on, kissing down over Finn's abs and mouthing at the hair of Finn's happy trail.

"Can I...?" Ozzy asked, hooking his fingers in the waistband of Finn's Calvin Klein boxers. "Wanna blow you. Been thinking about it for weeks. Having your cock in my mouth. Tasting you on my tongue."

"Fuck," Finn cursed and closed his eyes tight, breathing deeply to keep from coming right away. When he opened them again, he nodded at Ozzy, giving him the go ahead to take his boxers off.

Ozzy threw the boxers on the floor and moaned at the sight of Finn's cock, pink at the head and spurting a bit of precome. He wrapped his hand around Finn's cock and tugged slowly a few times, working Finn up a bit and making his breath come in gasps.

"You're incredible. You look so fucking good. I'm gonna treat you so good, Finn. Exactly how you deserve," Ozzy promised, then he ducked his head and wrapped his lips around the head of Finn's cock, sucking on it and swirling his tongue around, licking up the precome. Finn moaned quietly, his hands coming up to rest on Ozzy's head, his fingers threading through his hair.

"You look so good down there like that," Finn said softly "Your red, swollen lips around my cock. You have no idea."

The words seemed to egg Ozzy on and he moaned around Finn's cock, taking him down further and bobbing his head up and down while tugging at the base of Finn's cock, working him over fast. Finn didn't mind. Now was not the time to go slow. He was so hard and turned on. He needed to get off. So badly.

"Fuck your so good at this!" Finn threw his head back and thrust his hips up gently, needing to go faster, feeling his orgasm just out of reach.

Ozzy pulled off to breathe, a bit of precome on his bottom lip. He worked Finn over with his fist while he breathed then before he went back down, he looked into Finn's eyes and said "You can fuck my mouth. I love it."

A wave of pleasure took over Finn's body at the thought of fucking Ozzy's mouth. He was so close to falling over the edge and that was exactly what he needed to get him there.

Ozzy's lips found the head of Finn's cock again and he sucked him down, one hand at the base and the other gripping Finn's hip. He started bobbing his head again, never losing eye contact with Finn. It was the hottest thing Finn has ever seen and he quickly lost control of himself and thrust his hips up to fuck Ozzy's mouth. Ozzy moaned obscenely and Finn cried out, throwing his head back, his back arching off the bed as his cock repeatedly hit the back of Ozzy's throat.

"Oh God! Ozzy. Oz. Fuck!" Finn babbled then his hips thrust up off the bed one last time and he let out a long, low moan as he came down Ozzy's throat.

Ozzy pulled off when Finn was finished, his cheeks red, his forehead sweaty and his lips glistening with come. Finn could barely breathe and his body felt so relaxed and sated but somehow he managed to sit up and lunge at Ozzy, half kissing him and half breathing into his mouth. He pushed Ozzy's boxers down far enough to get at his cock and then he jerked him off hard and fast until he felt Ozzy's cock spasm in his hand and felt the warm come all over his fingers.

They collapsed down onto the bed, tangled together and gasping for air. Their chests were heaving and it took a few minutes but when they finally started breathing normally again, Finn nearly stuck his foot in his mouth.

"Ozzy I-" He cut himself off, his eyes going wide as he realizes what he was about to say. He was about to say 'I love you' but it was too soon for that. They may have liked each other for awhile but they had only been together for a day and Finn couldn't ruin things with his big mouth.

"You what, baby?" Ozzy lifted his head off Finn's chest and looked up at his face questioningly.

"I-" Finn swallowed thickly "That was so amazing. God it was so hot."

Ozzy laughed and rested his chin on Finn's chest so he could look up at him "I completely agree. The hottest sex I've ever had and we haven't even done everything yet. I'm probably going to be constantly turned on until we do. Just waiting for it to happen."

Finn lifted one of Ozzy's hands and kissed his knuckles "Me too, love. Me too "

"Stay with me tonight?" Ozzy asked as his eyes started to droop.

"Yeah. Okay," Finn wrapped Ozzy completely up in his arms and pulled the blankets over them "I'm leaving before Jacob wakes up though. It's too soon for him to be wondering why I spent the night."

"I agree but make sure you wake me up before you leave. You're not leaving here without a kiss. I'll be really cross." Ozzy narrowed his eyes at Finn.

"You'll be cross will you?" Finn giggled "Go to sleep my little Brit from Brooklyn."

Ozzy smiled and stuck his tongue out at Finn then he snuggled his face into his neck and was fast asleep in seconds.

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Narry fluff and Fizzy fluff before the angst starts a bit in the coming chapters. 
> 
>  
> 
> As always I hope you enjoy it and much thanks for reading and leaving comments and kudos. :)

 

 

"God what a day!" Niall groaned as he climbed into bed next to Harry. He pulled the blankets up over himself and cuddled into Harry's side, sighing contentedly when Harry wrapped an arm around him and held him close, kissing the top of his head.

"I quite enjoyed the part where you rode me in your office chair," Harry said into Niall's hair. Niall could feel the grin on his face.

"Really? Not the part where Charlie threw a fit at dinner? Because I think that was the best part of the day for sure," Niall said sarcastically, rolling onto his back and spreading his arms out over his head.

"Oh come on. It wasn't that bad," Harry rolled his eyes and turned onto his side to face Niall.

"Yes it was! At one point I was sure he was possessed or something," Niall huffed.

"Oh my God. You're worse than the kids with your exaggerating, you know that right?" Harry propped his head up on his hand and smiled down at Niall fondly.

"I am not!" Niall narrowed his eyes and glared at Harry.

"Yes you are," Harry said in a sing song voice "Anyway you know the reason he was acting out is because Matty is sick in bed with the flu since I picked them up from school and brought them home. He's very protective of Matty and he hurts when his brother is hurting. He doesn't know how to deal with those emotions. He's only six."

"Refusing to eat dinner then throwing himself down on the floor to kick and scream is most definitely not how to deal with his emotions."

"We explained that to him and took away his video games. He knows he was wrong. Stop whining about it," Harry teased him.

Niall rolled his eyes and turned his head on the pillow to look at his husband. Harry was grinning at him and Niall couldn't help but scoff and smile back. Those dimples are impossible to resist.

"If you're done now, there's something I want to talk to you about," Harry said quietly, his long fingers reaching out to brush through Niall's hair.

"Everything okay?" Niall asked with a frown on his face, worried there was something going on with the kids besides Matty having the flu.

"Everything is fine, love. I just wanted to discuss something with you. I got a call a few days ago but we've been so busy we haven't had time alone to talk about it." Harry said "You know Simon's son Eric took over his business when Simon died a few years ago. Well, he called me and said he wants to revive The X-Factor. He saw how successful The Voice was in America when it was revived three years ago and he thinks he can do the same with X."

Niall nodded his head, a thoughtful look on his face "That makes sense. It was insanely popular thirty years ago. Remember that boyband Simon put together? Their popularity was insane. Nobody had seen anything like it since The Beatles. There's a new group of people in their teens and early twenties now that have never seen the show. I bet they'll go crazy for it."

"I agree. He's excited about it and he asked me to be a judge. I told him I'd talk it over with you and get back to him."

"That's great, darlin'. It's not the same format as The Voice but you'd get to mentor people again. You love doing that," Niall smiled at his husband.

"I do, yeah, but it's a big decision to make. Eric is just like his Dad and won't be content for me to only sign on for one cycle. He'll probably want a three year commitment at least," Harry said seriously.

"Well, do you want to do it? Like, right off the top of your head. Don't think about it."

"Yes. I want to do it. I'm really excited it's being revived," Harry said, his green eyes sparkling "I loved that show back in the day. I performed on it after I was signed by Simon. Zayn came from that show and he and I became good friends after meeting there. I've met a lot of good friends from that show."

Niall rolled over, pushing Harry onto his back and climbing on top of him. There was nothing sexual about it. They were just big into cuddling. "Did Eric give you any details?"

"Yeah. He said it'll be a lot like it used to be. He's looking at May for the auditions, July for boot camp then August or September for judges houses and live shows in the fall," Harry said, running his hands up and down Niall's bare back.

Niall studied his husbands face for a minute before speaking again "I can see how badly you want to do it, darlin'. I think you should. Ryanne is due in early April. That's plenty of time before auditions start in May."

"What about- she'll just be a tiny baby. She'll need me and I-"

"H," Niall silenced his husband with a kiss "The show is just down the road at the O2. You'll be there for her just as much as I will. Don't let that hold you back. This is perfect for you and you know it."

"We might have to hire a part time nanny for the kids when you and I are working at the same time," Harry said, chewing on his lip in thought.

"Then we will. Or maybe Rory will help out. He'll be retired and home with his own kids. He might like to pick the twins up from school and watch Ryanne sometimes. We have lots of options. We'll be fine, darlin'. Trust me, okay?" Niall murmured against Harry's lips. He pressed their lips together softly in a sweet kiss before whispering again "Trust me."

Harry pecked his lips again and wrapped his arms around him tight "I do. You know I do."

"Okay then," Niall caressed his cheek and smiled down at him "If this is really what you want then you should do it. I'll be right there by your side like I always am and our kids will be perfect and happy like always. Okay?"

"Okay," Harry giggled and pulled him down fully on top of him, rolling them over so that Niall was on the bottom "I love you."

"I love you, too, darlin'. Forever and ever and ever and ever and-ooomph" Niall was cut off by Harry's lips. They tried to kiss but they were both laughing too hard and within a minute they were hysterically laughing in a heap on the bed.

It took them awhile to calm down. Once they did, Harry turned off the lights and turned over on his side so Niall could spoon him. They were both almost asleep when they heard their bedroom door being pushed open.

"Daddy?" A tiny voice sounded from the doorway "Papa?"

Niall sat up, Harry following right behind him to turn on the lights. When they could see, Niall saw Matty standing in the doorway with tears on his cheeks.

"Oh little munchkin," Niall jumped out of bed and walked over to his son, picking him up in his arms and bringing him over to the bed "Still not feeling well?"

"No," The little boy pouted, wiping his nose in the sleeve of his shirt "Can I sleep in here with you and Papa?"

"Of course you can. Do you need anything. Does anything hurt?" Niall felt his sons head, looking for a fever. He didn't feel overly warm thank god.

"My throat hurts. It woke me up," Matty says quietly.

"Oh baby. I'll go get you some medicine to help it not hurt so much okay?" Harry told Matty, his hand cupping Matty's cheek and wiping away some of the tears "Cuddle down with Daddy, okay? I'll be right back."

Niall helped him under the covers and pulled him close, running his fingers through his hair and humming a song under his breath.

"I'm going to get Charlie on my way back up from the kitchen. He'll freak out if he wakes up and finds Matty gone," Harry says quietly into his ear.

Niall nodded and tipped his head back for a kiss "Love you."

"Love you," Harry murmured against his lips then headed downstairs for some water and some liquid pain relief.

  
~~~

  
It's been a couple days since Finn spent the night at Ozzy's and he hasn't had the chance to see him since. Finn was busy with football and Matty was sick and wanted his big brother to stay home with him since he couldn't go to school, then he had a night out with some of his friends from high school. Rory didn't lose touch with his friends when he moved on to play football professionally and he encouraged Finn to do the same. It wouldn't have mattered though. Finn loved his friends and would never have lost touch with them anyway.

So he hadn't had the chance to see Ozzy but they texted back and forth all day long and late at night before they went to sleep, Ozzy would call him on his new phone his PA sent and they'd whisper together in the darkness, telling each other about their days and learning more about each other.

It was good but Finn desperately wanted to see him. It's been two days and yet he's dying for Ozzy to touch him and kiss him again. He's had more than one wank thinking about the amazing blow job Ozzy gave him the other night. He just can't get it out of his head. Hopefully they'd get to see each other tonight or even before that if Ozzy was coming over to record with his Pop. He forgot to ask if that was happening. He'd just have to ask his Pop.

"Good Morning, Pop," Finn walked into the kitchen, fresh from his shower. There was no practice this morning so he woke up at six for a ten mile run and came back to have a shower before breakfast.

"Good Morning," His Pop turned his head from where he was making tea over by the tea kettle and smiled at him "You sound chipper this morning."

"Do I?" Finn furrowed his brow and shrugged "I hadn't noticed. I feel the same as always. Are you saying I'm normally a grump in the mornings?"

"No," His Pop chuckled and walked over to sit at the table with his tea "I'm saying there's a sparkle in your eye and a skip in your step. I'd say it's a 'I'm getting regularly laid' skip actually."

"POP!!!!" Finn yelled, spitting apple juice out all over the table "You can't _say_ shit like that!"

"Why not?" His Pop looked positively gleeful as he mopped up the apple juice with a napkin. He looked a lot like his Uncle Louis at this very moment. "You're nineteen years old. I'm not a prude. Most nineteen year old guys are having lots and lots of sex. I was."

"Oh my God. Somebody please shoot me." Finn groaned, covering his face with his hands. He knew he was blushing furiously. He never understood how he could effortlessly suck cock or have someone suck his cock and not be shy at all but just a little teasing from his Pop makes him red as a tomato.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing," His Pop said, his laughter fading away "Can I ask if you've met someone at least? You really do seem happier than you normally are."

"I-" Finn started to speak then stopped. What could he say? He couldn't admit who his boyfriend is, not yet. He couldn't really even admit to having a boyfriend at all because his parents would want to meet him and ask questions about him. He didn't really want to lie though. He didn't lie to his parents.

"Finnegan," His Pop's gentle voice broke into his thoughts "I'm sorry. I know you don't like to talk about these things much. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"No. It's okay, Pop. I just- yes I've met somebody but it's really new and I don't really know where it's going so I don't really want to talk about it yet. I want to see if this goes anywhere before I bring him around and talk about him a lot." Finn said carefully. That was okay. None of that was a lie.

"It's a him?" His Pop's face lit up like a Christmas Tree "That's great, Finn! Is he cute?"

Finn tipped his head back in exasperation but it was pointless to try and hide the smile that was threatening to break out onto his face. He just couldn't. It was impossible because just thinking of Ozzy and his smile, the way his eyes crinkled at the sides when he laughed, the way his nose scrunched up a bit when he was thinking about something, made Finn smile like a lovesick fool.

So he didn't try to stop the smile from coming across his face but he _did_ roll his eyes at his Pop "Yeah Pop. He's pretty fit."

"Well I'm excited for you and I hope it works out the way you want it to," His Pop smiled at him before taking a sip of his tea.

"Thanks Pop," Finn smiled back then cleared his throat to change the subject "What are you up to today? Recording with Ozzy?"

His Pop sighed and set his cup on the table "Sadly, no. With his nanny having to fly home, he doesn't have anyone to look after Jacob and it's unfair to stick him in a corner and expect him to play with his toys for hours on end while we're recording. We might record a couple of nights a week. That way Jacob can hang out with your Dad and the twins. He likes your brothers and your brothers like him. They have fun playing together. It'll take longer to finish the album because I can't commit to every night. With your Dad at work and the kids in school, the only time I get to spend with them is in the evenings. I can't just disappear every night and ignore my family. It sucks but it's the way it has to be."

Finn frowned and lifted a hand to scratch at the stubble on his cheeks. This wasn't good. Ozzy was here to record his album. It didn't make sense that he couldn't work on it. Especially not when he had a boyfriend who was perfectly willing to look after his son.

"Hey Pop? What if you still worked everyday, just worked it around my practices and matches? I could watch Jacob. There's plenty for us to do up here while you guys work downstairs. I mean, he shouldn't have a problem with it. Ozzy and I have hung out a bit since he got here so Jacob knows me and seems to like me. It could work." Finn said, omitting a bit of the truth. Ozzy was his boyfriend not just a friend and they've certainly done a lot more than 'hang out' but his Pop didn't know that so he left those pieces of information out.

"Finn! That's a great idea! Are you sure you don't mind? You'd be giving up your free time for awhile." His Pop sat forward in his seat with his palms flat on the table, excitement in his eyes.

"Pop," Ozzy looked at his Pop deadpan "Its not like I'm doing anything exciting with my days. I'm not out saving the world. I'm usually hanging out with friends or reading a good book. Things that can most certainly wait. I want to help. Jacob is a cute kid. We can even go pick the twins up from school while you and Ozzy work and they can all play together for awhile."

"Okay," His Pop nodded and stood up "I'll give Ozzy a call and see what he says. Are you free today if he can come over this morning?"

"Yep. Free as a bird," Finn smiled wide and his heart rate picked up. He was going to see Ozzy soon and he couldn't fucking wait. How pathetic was he? Not able to survive two days without seeing his boyfriend? He didn't care though. He was falling in love with Ozzy and Ozzy really liked him so he'll take looking pathetic any day.

His Pop left the kitchen to go make his call so Finn made himself some oatmeal for breakfast. He grabbed some fresh fruit from the fridge to have with it and he sat down to eat while he waited for his Pop to come back.

It didn't take long.

"Alright! He said he would be over after he and Jacob have breakfast and get dressed. I told him if I'm not back from driving the twins to school when he gets here, you'd let him in and he's welcome to go downstairs and get started if he wants. Thank you for doing this, Finn. It's so sweet of you. I'm not really even surprised to be honest. You've always been our sweet boy." His Pop said, patting his cheek lovingly.

Finn smiled shyly at his Pop and ducked his head to finish his oatmeal. He couldn't help but feel warm inside. His parents loved him so much and they tell him that everyday. Still, nineteen years later, their love for him still made him feel like the most special person in the world and sometimes he still couldn't fathom it because he knew- he knew neither one of them was his biological father, yet to them he was their son completely. He was their baby boy and they'd do anything for him. Finn felt like the luckiest guy in the world to have them for his parents.

Once Finn finished his breakfast, the rest of his siblings started filing into the kitchen along with their Dad all dressed for work. Finn may have been finished but he didn't leave. He loved when they were all together for breakfast-well almost all of them. Rory wasn't here.

While his Pop got breakfast for everyone, Finn helped him out by packing lunch for the twins then he sat down and patiently listened to Kate tell him all about some new fashion trend and some new hairstyle she wanted to try. She was only fourteen! God help the world when she's twenty. She's going to bulldoze her way into the world of fashion somehow and there won't be anything anyone can do to stop her.

Meanwhile, the whole time his family was busy chattering away to each other and laughing and being loud like they normally were, Finn's eyes never trailed far from his parents. The way their eyes kept meeting across the room, sharing silent messages Finn couldn't even begin to figure out, the way they smiled at each other, the way they somehow had to touch each other whenever they passed each other while getting things from the cupboard or off the stove. His Pop's hand would slide over his Dad's hip while one of his Dad's hands would find its way up under his shirt where he could gently caress the skin on his lower back.

They were in love. Deeply in love and Finn knew without a doubt that that's what he wanted someday. He wanted someone to love him that way and take care of him the way his parents took care of each other. He wanted someone who knew him all the way down to the depths of his soul, knew him better than he knew himself, loved him unconditionally, faults and all.

Finn was brought back from his thoughts when a little body came flying at him, nearly knocking him out of his chair.

"We're going to school now, Finny!" Matty's smiling face looked up at him "Will you be here when we get home later?"

Finn wrapped his arms around his little brother and lifted him up onto his lap, kissing the tip of his nose "I'll be right here waiting for you and Charlie. Guess who else will be here? Jacob! I'm going to babysit so his daddy can work with Pop."

Matty's eyes grew wide and he gasped "Really?? I have to go tell Charlie!" The little boy said excitedly, then practically threw himself off Finn's lap and was running out of the kitchen when Finn called out.

"Love you Matty! See you after school,"

The little boy had already disappeared around the corner but his head popped back around a few seconds later, a beaming smile on his face "Love you Finny" Then he was off again, screaming for his brother.  
  
Finn chuckled and shook his head fondly at his little brother's antics. Matty was the quiet one, more serious, only really got into mischief because he was following Charlie. When he was excited, though, he was a big ball of energy and his smile was priceless.

When he was about to get up from the table, he caught his Dad's eye from across the kitchen. He was leaning back against the counter drinking his coffee and Finn didn't even know he was there. He thought he had already left. He hadn't, apparently, and now he was just looking at Finn with a small smile on his face.

"What?" Finn asked warily "Why are you looking at me like that?"

His Dad took a long sip of coffee and pushed himself off the counter to walk over to the table where Finn was. He sat down and wrapped his hands around his coffee cup, giving Finn one last long look before he spoke "I was just looking at you and thinking you're going to be a really great father someday. The way you are with your younger siblings and your nieces and nephew, proves that. It makes me so proud to watch you and I just- adopting you was the best decision your Pop and I have ever made. We love you very much. We love you and we're so proud that you're our son. Just wanted to make sure you know that."

Finn looked down at the table, closing his eyes for a moment and swallowing a few times. His parents didn't know this but Finn has played the what if game more than once when it came to his adoption. As he got older and learned all the facts, he often wondered what would have happened to him if his parents hadn't adopted him? Would he have been raised in foster care with nobody to love him? Would he have gone to a family that didn't treat him right and had no right to be parents but somehow fooled the system? Would he have gotten to go to such great schools? Would he have gotten to travel and see the world? Would he have ever kicked a football? Would he even be interested in football without having a big brother that he admired so much and wanted to learn so much from?

The list goes on and on and whenever Finn thought about it, his heart would beat faster and his palms would get sweaty. He'd feel sick to his stomach and damn near go into panic mode at the thought of being a child and waking up to someone other than his Dad and Pop. He has no idea what would have happened to him without his parents and thinking about it was torture, yet his mind went there sometimes. He couldn't help it.

Clearing his throat, he looked up at his Dad again and tried to smile "I do, yeah. I know you love me. I know you're proud of me. You've never failed to make sure I knew that. It's one of the reasons you're such great parents and if I'm a good father in the future like you say I will be, it'll be because of you and Pop. Everything I know comes from you."

"Then we've done our job well," His Dad said with a grin.

"Yeah, I guess you did," Finn said, his eyes wandering to the clock on the wall. His Pop just left to bring the twins to school so his Dad should have been left for work already. He really needed his Dad to leave for work now. If Ozzy got here soon, Finn could have a moment alone with him before his Pop got back "Aren't you going to be late for work?"

His Dad flicked his eyes down to the watch on his wrist and shrugged, taking another sip of coffee "I've been working there for twenty- five years. They're not going to fire me for being a few minutes late. Besides, if they did, I'd be okay. Your Pop is loaded. He could be my sugar daddy."

"Oh my God," Finn groaned "Please go away. I don't want to hear this."

His Dad started laughing and stood up to put his cup in the dishwasher "Alright, alright. I'm going to work now. I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad. Have a good day at work," Finn said as his Dad grabbed his briefcase and left for the day.  
  
Finn got up from the table and wandered out in time to say goodbye to Nori and Kate as they were slinging their bags over their shoulders and heading out the door to Nori's car to head to school. Afterward he went back upstairs to change into different clothes. After his shower he threw on some old joggers and a t-shirt. He didn't really want Ozzy to see him looking like a slob so he changed into black jeans with a plain white t-shirt and a red and blue plaid shirt on top. He rolled the sleeves up to his elbows and left the rest of the shirt open since he was wearing a t-shirt underneath, and just like that he looked presentable yet comfortable since he'd be spending the day with a four year old.

On his way back downstairs, he stopped in the bathroom to brush his teeth then he ran out to his car to make sure he still had the twins car seats set up. If Ozzy was okay with it, he figured he could take Jacob to Rory's house to play with Danny for a bit.

While he was bent over in the backseat, a car pulled into the drive and Finn stood up to see if it was Ozzy or his Pop. He immediately saw it was a car service and knew it had to be Ozzy and couldn't help the huge smile that came across his face. He stood back against his car, watching as Ozzy stepped out of the car then leaned in to help Jacob out. When Jacob was out of the car and safely on the ground, Ozzy stood up straight and their eyes met across the driveway, small smiles tugging at both their lips.

"Finny!!!" Jacob yelled as he took off running toward Finn. Finn laughed and held his arms out, waiting for Jacob to run into them so he could lift him up in his arms. Once he did, he kissed the little boys cheek and said hello.

"Hi Jacob. How are you?" Finn asked, admiring how cute the little boy was with his animal beanie on his head to protect his ears from the cold. This particular beanie had an owl face on it and had ear flaps and strings with Pom poms on the end that hung down over the little boys chest. He knew from experience that Jacob probably spent a good amount of time twirling those Pom poms around and around when he got bored. Charlie and Matty certainly did.

"I'm good!" Jacob said, cheerfully "Papa say you gonna babysit while he go to work with your Papa."

"I certainly am. We're going to have loads of fun too! Let's go inside out of the cold okay?" Finn said. He made a funny face and tapped the little boys chin with his index finger making him giggle wildly.

They made their way inside, stopping in the foyer to take their jackets and boots off, then Finn led the way to the playroom to show Jacob all of Charlie and Matty's toys. As they were walking down the hall, he felt a light touch on his hand and looked down to see Ozzy brushing over his knuckles with his index finger. He lifted his head to look at Ozzy and found his boyfriend looking at him with a fond smile on his face. He smiled back and hooked his pinky finger around Ozzy's until they reached the playroom and they pulled apart in case Jacob noticed.

"Hey Jakey? Can you play with your toys for a minute while I talk to Finn?" Ozzy asked his son.

"You can play with any of the toys in here buddy," Finn added "Charlie and Matty won't mind."

"Okay!" Jacob said happily. He threw down his backpack and immediately dropped to the floor to play with the toy airplanes Charlie and Matty got for Christmas.

"Come with me," Ozzy whispered in his ear. He ushered Finn out of the room, stopping briefly in the hallway "What's in here?"

"My Dad's office," Finn answered when Ozzy pointed at the room across the hall.

"Good enough," Ozzy grabbed Finn's arm and pulled him into the office, closing the door behind them. He pushed Finn against the closed door and immediately pressed their lips together, kissing him frantically like it had been months since they had seen each other and not just days.

When Ozzy pulled back they were both breathing heavily and staring into each other's eyes unable to look away. There was a burning desire there for both of them. It was electric and neither one of them had ever felt anything like it before.

"Hey you," Ozzy finally spoke, his voice soft. He leaned in for another kiss, this one slower and less sensual. It was more soft, like Finn was something delicate that Ozzy didn't want to break. It made Finn feel taken care of and as it turned out, he really, really liked feeling that way.

"Hi," Finn smiled shyly once Ozzy pulled back again. His hands were resting on Ozzy's hips and he slipped his fingers up under Ozzy's jumper and t-shirt, gently caressing the smooth skin right above the waistband of Ozzy's jeans.

"At the risk of sounding horrifically pathetic- I missed you. It's been three days but I missed you like crazy," Ozzy rested his forehead against Finn's and laughed at himself "Then the first sight I get of you in three days is your ass sticking out of the backseat of your car when we pulled into the driveway. I don't think you fully grasp how dangerous your ass is. Especially in those jeans. Or maybe you do and you're just trying to kill me."

Finn laughed loudly and pulled Ozzy in even closer to him "I don't stand around all day looking at my arse in the mirror."

"Well you should!" Ozzy scoffed "Your thighs, too. They're so thick. Good God. All these years I've been watching soccer and I didn't notice the legs on the players. It's criminal."

"And you better not start noticing!" Finn pouted.

"Oh baby. You don't have to worry about that. My eyes never leave you when you're out there on the pitch. You're so hot running around in your little shorts." Ozzy said, fire sparking in his eyes again.

"Guess you'll have to come to my next match on Saturday then." Finn smirked.

"I'll be there. As long as it doesn't make your parents suspicious," Ozzy brushed his nose along Finn's jaw, making him shiver when his breath hit his neck.

"They know we're friends. Plus Pop will probably invite you himself. He always does," Finn rested the back of his head against the door and closed his eyes, relishing in the feeling of Ozzy's lips against his skin.

"I just wish I could wear your Jersey so everyone would know I was cheering for you, that you're mine." Ozzy said a bit sadly.

"You'd wear my jersey?" Finn's eyes snapped open and his eyebrows rose.

"Damn right I would. I'd rock that Horan Jersey," Ozzy smiled "Someday right?"

"Yeah," Finn swallowed thickly "Someday."

"We should probably get back to Jacob now. Before your Pop gets home and catches us in here like this," Ozzy kissed Finn one last time before he pulled back "Do you think you can come over tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll be there."

"Okay," Ozzy beamed at him then they left the office and went back across the hall with Jacob. He was happily playing with the toy airplanes and didn't even bother to pay attention to them when they walked back into the room so they sat on the couch in there, talking quietly and watching him play.

"Thank you for taking care of him for me," Ozzy says after a minute, his body leaning into Finn's.

"Of course. I know you're in a tight spot with Kara having to leave. I'm happy to help. I don't know why you didn't ask me, to be honest."

Ozzy shrugged and ran a hand up over Finn's thigh since Jacob wasn't looking "I didn't want to bother you. Jacob is my responsibility. I'm not just going to expect you to drop everything and take care of him because you're my boyfriend."

"What if that's exactly what I want to do, though? It's not exactly a hardship spending time with that little boy over there," Finn tipped his head in Jacob's direction "He's amazing, Ozzy. So happy, fun, full of life, smart, funny, compassionate. You're doing so good with him. I hope you know that. You have every reason to be so proud. I don't know the whole story but I know enough to know your Dad didn't teach you how to be a good father. You're doing this on your own without any example. I've been in awe of you every day since we first met."

"Thank you," Ozzy whispered, ducking his head as he got a little choked up "I try my hardest. He deserves the world. He's the most important person in my life. I just want him to be healthy and happy."

"He is, love. He's so happy and I love being around him. I want to spend my free time with him when you're working. Okay? I want to. So if you ever need help, ask me. I really want to do it. I promise." Finn assured Ozzy.

"Alright. I'll keep that in mind," Ozzy smiled.

They heard the front door closing a few minutes later and separated themselves on the couch before his Pop came in. When Finn heard his Pop's voice call out to him, he called back to say they were in the playroom and thirty seconds later his Pop was walking in with a smile on his face.

"You're here!" His Pop said to Ozzy "Have you been here long?"

"Nah. Ten minutes maybe," Ozzy stood up and Finn watched as his Pop gave him a hug. He actually really liked that Ozzy was close to his Pop. He liked that Ozzy had someone he could count on, a father figure. He only hoped when his Pop found out about them, it wouldn't ruin their relationship.

"Oh good. You haven't been waiting long." His Pop said then turned to Jacob "Hi Jacob"

"Hi Harry!" Jacob jumped up and wrapped his arms around Harry's legs in a hug. "Today I play with Finny!"

"You're excited about that aren't you?" Harry laughed, picking the boy up and kissing his cheek.

"Yeah!!! I like Finny. He's fun." Jacob said, a matter of fact tone to his voice.

"Yeah. He is pretty fun," His Pop chuckled and set Jacob back down on the floor "Have fun today, okay?"

"We will!!" Jacob yelled, then he turned around and went back to playing with the toys, leaving the three adults chuckling fondly at him.

"Before you go...Ozzy, I have car seats for the twins in my car since I'm always taking them places with me. Would you mind if I took Jacob to Rory's house to play with Danny? I'm going to text and see if he's home today." Finn asked.

"Yeah. That's fine. He'll love that. He had fun with Danny when they met after your match against Rory. Text me if you need anything or if something happens. I'll have my phone on vibrate in my pocket." Ozzy said, winking at Finn when his Pop wasn't looking.

Finn playfully glared at him then schooled his expression before his Pop turned back around to look at him "I'll keep in touch to let you know how everything is going."

"That sounds good. Tell your brother to call me later please. I need to talk to him about something," His Pop said. Finn nodded and his Pop then turned to Ozzy "Ready to get to work? Liam is coming over later by the way."

"Yeah. Let's do this!" Ozzy rubbed his hands together in front of him then turned to Jacob "Papa will see you later, okay baby? Be good for Finn."

"Okay Papa. I will!" Jacob said, standing up and hugging his Papa.

"I love you," Ozzy kissed the top of his head and stepped away.

"Love you, Papa. Bye!" The little boy grinned and waved at Ozzy.

Ozzy and his Pop chuckled and turned to leave. His Pop was ahead of Ozzy so Ozzy turned around quickly and blew a kiss to Finn. Finn blushed and shook his head but he blew one back, the look on Ozzy's face making his heart melt.

God they were pathetic. Finn loved it.

 

~~~

 

Finn and Jacob arrived at Rory's house at just after eleven. After making sure the gate closed, he helped Jacob out of the car and held his hand as they walked up to the front door. Finn used his key to unlock the door, then they walked inside where Finn helped the little boy take off his jacket, boots, and his owl beanie.

"Well look who it is," Rory walked into the foyer with Danny on his hip "Hi baby brother. Hi Jacob."

"Hi!!" Jacob waved his hand at Rory and Danny, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet "Hi Finny's brother. Hi Danny!"

"Oh," Rory snorted and looked at Finn "He remembers Danny's name but not mine. I guess it's okay. I can be known as Finny's brother I suppose."

Finn laughed and rolled his eyes as he hung his jacket up "You should consider yourself lucky to be known as my brother. I'm wonderful after all."

"The words I want to say right now cannot be said in front of children," Rory smirked as he put Danny down "Come on kiddies. Let's go into the living room."

Jacob and Danny followed after Rory, chatting away about whatever a four and three year old chat about. Finn couldn't really figure it out. Half of it sounded like gibberish and the other half seemed to be about the latest kids show that seemed to be taking the world by storm.

Finn followed behind them into the living room and the next half an hour was spent playing with the two little boys and laughing more than he's ever laughed before in his life. His nephew was exactly like Rory, in looks and personality and even though he was only three, sometimes he gave you this deadpan look like you were stupid for not understanding what he was talking about and it was exactly the way Rory looked when he did the same thing.

When noon hit, the boys settled down a bit and Rory turned on the kids channel for them to watch. They made sandwiches for lunch and brought it to them to eat while they watched their show along with a glass of apple juice for Jacob and milk for Danny.

Of course once the kids were occupied, Rory took him into the kitchen to grill him. He expected nothing less.

"Okay little brother, how did you end up with Ozzy's kid today, hmm? Last time we spoke, which was only a few days ago might I add, you hadn't spoken to Ozzy in six weeks and you were quite depressed about it. What the hell happened?" Rory asks as soon as they were in the kitchen. He leaned his back up against the counter and folded his arms across his chest, giving Finn an expectant look.

Finn ducked his head and bit his lip to try and keep the sappy smile from appearing on his face. It obviously didn't work because he heard his brother snort and when he looked up at him, Rory was smirking at him and pushing away from the counter to take a seat at the breakfast bar. Finn climbed up on the stool next to him and Rory slid an arm across his shoulders, leaning in and telling him to spill.

Finn had nothing to hide, not from his brother, so he told him everything that happened. How they got in a fight when Ozzy thought he was fucking Alexa on his couch, how Ozzy admitted to being jealous and Finn got mad at him because he had no right, then how they had a long talk and Ozzy admitted to being wrong. How his intentions were good but he realized he couldn't just forget about Finn because his Pop might not like their relationship. He finished by telling Rory how they decided to give a relationship a shot and for the past few days he's been on cloud nine.

"You're arse over tits for the man. It's even worse than I thought," Rory said thoughtfully.

"Are you not happy for me?" Finn asked nervously. He knew he didn't need his brother's permission to date anybody but his support was extremely important to him and he'd be devastated if he didn't have that.

"Of course I'm happy for you, Finny!" Rory turned in his seat to look at Finn "I like Ozzy. He's a good guy and I believe he'd treat you right."

"But?" Finn swallowed hard.

"But I wouldn't be a good brother if I didn't point out the obvious right now," Rory said carefully.

"Which is what?"

"You're headed in the same direction I was and I don't want you to get hurt," Rory pushed his fingers through his hair and sighed "It's almost exactly the same as me and Anna. I lived here and Anna had to move to New York. You live here, Ozzy lives in New York. What are you going to do when he goes home, Finn? I'm just worried you both haven't thought of that because you're so in love with each other you can't see straight."

"I-" Finn stopped because, no, they hadn't talked about what they were going to do once Ozzy finished his album and went back to New York. They hadn't thought of that at all. "Oh God."

"Hey," Rory put his hands on Finn's shoulders and turned him around to face him "Take a breath, Finny. It's okay. Just take a breath for me."

Finn nodded and took a couple of deep breaths in through his nose to try and slow down his rapidly beating heart. He was starting to freak out a bit and that would get him nowhere.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, Finn. I'm not saying your relationship won't work. What happened with Anna and I isn't necessarily what will happen with you and Ozzy. All I'm saying is, you can't ignore it because you're in the honeymoon phase right now. You do need to talk about it and figure it out. It'll be hard, sacrifices will have to be made on both your parts. If this is serious, if you're truly committed to each other, you'll need a plan." Rory said gently.

"I mean, we only started dating a couple days ago but our feelings for each other started long before that. That doesn't mean we'll still be together six months from now but I know I'd like to be. I'm really falling for him. I don't want to lose him, especially if it's because of distance. I don't want to lose him when we didn't fall out of love. You know what I mean?"

"I do," Rory said sadly "That's exactly what happened with Anna. We were still very much in love. We never would have broken up if she didn't have to move. It was gut wrenching and I was a wreck. You were just a toddler, thank god. You don't remember it."

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to be presumptuous and bring it up tomorrow like I expect we're going to be married and living happily ever after in six months," Finn said, desperation evident in his voice.

"I'm not saying you have to bring it up tomorrow. Just be prepared is all I'm saying. If things continue to go well for you and you're still in a relationship when he has to go back home, be prepared for a very tough talk. You'll need to decide if living in different cities can work for you, if you'll be able to make time to see each other regularly and talk on the phone regularly. You'll have to decide if you're both willing to make some tough sacrifices to make it work."

"Yeah. I guess nobody ever said being an adult would be easy." Finn said, a sarcastic smile on his face.

"Being an adult fucking sucks," Rory offers, sending the both of them into a fit of giggles. When their laughter subsided, Rory looked at Finn again "But you're tough, you're smart and you've always been mature. If this is meant to be, you'll make it work. I know you will. It might be tough but you're strong and you have people who will support you, you have your family and friends. It'll work out the way it's supposed to. I believe that."

"Yeah. You're right. I know you're right. I really want this, I want him and I'm willing to work hard for it. I'm not afraid of hard work. I'm not so naive that I think all relationship are perfect and people never have tough times. Even Dad and Pop fight sometimes."

Rory groaned "I wish they didn't because when they make up it's so sappy and disgusting. I have to leave the room."

"Oh like you and Anna aren't disgusting?" Finn smirked.

"We're more private about it!" Rory said indignantly.

"Oh no you're not," Finn laughed "It's hilarious that you think you are. Your heart eyes can be seen from Ireland."

"Oh really? Do you really want to start this with me? When your heart eyes can be seen from fucking America?" Rory challenged.

Finn blushed but he couldn't keep the blinding smile off his face. He didn't even deny his heart eyes to Rory "He's amazing, Rory. People let his appearance fool them. They think he's some punk, some criminal but he's the sweetness most gentle person I know. He makes me feel so good-"

"Whoa!" Rory's eyes widened and he cut Finn off "Am I getting a play by play of your sex life now? I love you, little brother and we're close but I don't want to know how you like your dick sucked"

"Oh my God!" Finn was mortified "That's _not_ what I was going to say. I was _going_ to say he makes me feel so good about myself. He treats me like I'm royalty or something."

"Oh," Rory smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah. _Oh_." Finn said, then he broke out laughing "Your face though! You're such a dirty minded bastard."

Rory threw his head back, laughing his cackling laugh that sounded exactly like their Dad's laugh "Sadly that's not the first time I've heard that."

"Of course not," Finn scoffed.

"You'll be grateful for my dirty little mind in a minute," Rory waggled his eyebrows "When I tell you I'm going to help you have some _alone_ time with your boy toy."

"He's not my boy toy. He's my boyfriend," Finn rolled his eyes.

"Do you want alone time with him or not?"

"I'm not going to turn it down," Finn smirked.

"Then let me know when you want to have some alone time and Jacob can sleep over here for a night. He'll have a blast with Maddie, Penny, and Danny. We'd love to have him. He's a really sweet little boy." Rory smiled fondly.

"He really is. I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with him, too," Finn said.

"Not surprising with how much you love kids," Rory stood up and kissed the top of Finn's head "Come on. Let's go make sure the little munchkins in the living room aren't up to no good."

Finn made a noise of agreement and followed his brother into the living room.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Here is chapter eight featuring some Narry family time and some sweet Fizzy time. Only a couple more chapters before the drama begins. I hope everyone stays around to see what happens!
> 
> Enjoy :)

 

 

  
"Jesus Christ," Niall muttered later that day as he walked into the house after work. He stamped his feet to knock the snow off and brushed his hands over his jacket, watching as the snow fell off onto the mat "Harry!"

Niall waited for an answer from his husband but didn't get one. Instead he got Kate showing up in the hallway, her phone in her hand "He's downstairs. He and Ozzy were recording today and he asked me to watch the twins for a bit so he could finish something."

"Oh. Okay," Niall hung up his jacket and put his boots away then smiled at his daughter before wrapping her up in a hug "Hello Sunshine. How are you doing? School okay?"

"School is a waste of time. I'm going to be a fashion designer. I don't need to know Shakespeare for that. I'm not going to read tragic love stories to my clothes,"Kate huffed against Niall's chest.

"Are you sure? Your Pop loves his clothes. His boots have names," Niall laughed and kissed the top of Kate's head before releasing her.

"Oh God. I forgot about that," Kate started giggling. Niall watched her, his heart full of love for his little girl. She was truly beautiful and Niall couldn't stand the fact she was almost fifteen. She was growing up too fast and it made him long for the days he would rock her in his arms at night and sing her to sleep.

"Where are your brother's now?" Niall asked as they walked deeper into the house.

"In their playroom. I just checked on them. They're fine. I don't know where Finn is," Kate shrugged.

"That's alright. Finn is nineteen years old. He can handle himself. Is your sister home?" Niall asked.

"In her room. Said she was doing homework," Kate said, staring at her phone again. She was bored with this conversation now so Niall simply rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek, sending her on her way to do whatever she was doing.

Niall headed for the stairs and jogged down to find Harry in his studio. Harry saw him when he walked in and shut off the music, a wide smile coming across his face. Niall smiled back. How could he not when the most gorgeous face he's ever seen is looking at him with so much love and fondness.

"Hiiii. How was work?" Harry asked him. He reached out a hand to pull Niall into him then dipped his head for a soft kiss. "You still look as hot as you did this morning by the way."

"Shut up!" Niall laughed, letting his body sink into Harry's, loving the warm, safe feeling that always came over him "Work was good. Did you see the latest weather update though? Jesus."

"What?" Harry frowned down at him "No. Is it raining? I was just upstairs an hour ago when Ozzy left. It was grey outside but that's it."

"It's snowing. I was listening to BBC radio in the car and they said a weather system that was supposed to pass well South of here has changed course unexpectedly. It wasn't snowing when I left work. By the time I got home it was coming down fast. Everyone has been caught off guard by it. They're saying it's going to be the biggest storm London has seen in sixty years or something. High winds and blowing snow. We should make sure we have candles and stuff in case there's a power outage." Niall fills his husband in, watching as his face became increasingly concerned.

"God. I-I didn't know. I don't have dinner started yet. I was just about to come up and do that," Harry chewed on his lip nervously "I want the kids to have a hot meal for dinner. Not cold sandwiches."

"It's only just starting darlin' and the power might not even go out. Why don't you go start dinner and I'll go change my clothes then I'll collect some candles and flashlights, plug our phones in so they're charged a hundred percent." Niall offers.

"Okay. Can you text Finn? When me and Ozzy were done, he offered to drive him and Jacob home so they didn't have to call a car. Maybe he should just stay there? I don't want him driving in this. Hopefully he hasn't left already " Harry said nervously when they made it to the top of the stairs.

"He'll be fine if he left already. It's not bad yet and he's a good driver. I'll call him before I change," Niall said, taking his phone out of his pocket. He kissed Harry again quickly then they separated, Niall heading to their bedroom and Harry heading to the kitchen.

Niall put his phone on speaker when he called Finn. That way he could change while he spoke to him. His son picked up on the third ring.

"Hey Dad. What's up?"

"Hi Bub. Your Pop said you went to Ozzy's? Have you left yet?" Niall asked as he unbuttoned his dress shirt.

"No. Ozzy invited me for dinner and I said yes. Did I forget about plans at home or something?" Finn asked, sounding confused.

"No, no. We're just expecting a storm. It's already started. I won't go into details. You can check your weather app when we hang up. Your Pop and I would prefer you just stay there to wait it out, if that's okay with Ozzy? The roads will be slippery and covered in snow and the winds are supposed to be high. Better not chance it." Niall threw his shirt on the bed and pulled on a t-shirt and jumper.

"Yeah okay. I'm looking out the window now. I had no idea it was snowing this bad. It didn't seem to be a little while ago." Finn said, whistling lowly at the snow coming down.

"Yeah it's happening fast. Plug your phone in so it's charged just in case the power goes out, okay? I don't have to remind you how important it is, especially to your Pop that we know you're okay when there's bad weather," Niall told his son while he pulled on a pair of Harry's joggers. They were too big for him but Niall loved that. He loved wearing his husband's clothes. Loved smelling Harry off of them, loved how Harry always said he was adorable, loved the way Harry looked at him when he was wearing them.

"No. I remember what happened to his boyfriend before you guys met. I'll make sure my phone stays on and we won't be going anywhere anyway," Finn promised "Is everyone okay at home? Nori isn't out driving around in this is she?"

"Your sister is here safe and sound. We all are. Don't worry. I've got to go gather some candles and other supplies just in case. Stay safe, okay? Love you, Bub."

"Love you, too, Dad," Finn chuckled, probably at the nickname Niall gave him as a baby. Niall still called him that. In fact he still called all his kids by their nicknames. Bub for Finn, Little Lovey for Nori, Sunshine for Kate and Little Munchkins for the twins. He's not sure why he did it, why he gave them those names, but he did, they just came out and they felt right.

Once he hung up with Finn, he gathered some candles Harry had stored on a shelf in their walk in closet. They had an endless supply of candles. Harry loved them, found them soothing and found they helped him relax. He also loved all the different smells. Niall grew to love them, too, and he couldn't lie- no matter how cheesy it was, he loved when Harry filled their large bathtub in the master en suite with warm water and bubbles and lit some candles around the edge of the tub and on the counter. It led to many very sensual snogging sessions and amazing hand jobs while they relaxed in the tub together.

With a silly grin on his face, Niall gathered up an armful of candles and brought them down to the kitchen where Harry was mixing something in a bowl.

"Finn is staying put with Ozzy and Jacob. He said he'd make sure his phone was charged and turned on," Niall said as he laid the candles on the kitchen table "What are you making?"

"Meatloaf. It's quick, easy and the kids love it. I'll make some mash with it and I've got some frozen peas and carrots in the freezer," Harry answered "Dinner will be ready by seven."

"Can't wait, darlin'. There's a reason the kids love your meatloaf. It's delicious," Niall came up behind Harry and wrapped his arms around his waist, kissing the back of his neck "You're delicious."

Harry threw his head back against Niall's shoulder and laughed loudly "I am, am I?"

Niall hummed and kissed along the back of Harry's neck, all the way around to his pulse point where he gently sunk his teeth in "So delicious. Ya know, I kind of hope the lights go out later, once all the kids are gone to bed. We can light some candles in our room and I can take my time taking you apart while the wind howls outside and the snow blows around, blanketing the city."

"God," Harry whispered, turning around in Niall's arms and threading his arms around Niall's neck "I'd love that. How about we do that anyway? Whether the lights go out or not? We can pretend they did."

Niall grinned and tipped his head up, meeting Harry's lips in a slow, languid kiss, their tongues touching just enough to get their bodies humming with interest but not enough to start a full fledged fire in their bellies "I like the way you think Mr. Styles-Horan."

"I'm pretty brilliant sometimes," Harry grinned, his dimples on full display. He was just moving his hand down over Niall's arse and squeezing it when Kate walked in.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now??" She practically shrieked, her hands coming up to cover her eyes.

"Katherine Elizabeth! You're fourteen years old. You don't use that word. No cursing!" Harry scolded their daughter while Niall bit down on his shoulder to try to keep from cackling with laughter.

"I'm sorry!" Kate cried "I'm Irish. I can't help it."

That did it for Niall. He started howling with laughter, his face turning red and tears falling down his cheeks. He stepped away from Harry and bent over with his hands on his knees, only laughing harder when he heard Harry chortling beside him.

"What?" Kate asked, removing her hands from her eyes and struggling not to laugh herself "It's true! I _am_ Irish. Cursing is like, an important part of our culture or something."

"Oh good God, Niall," Harry spluttered "Our children spend far too much time talking to your father."

"Grandpa Bobby is the best!" Kate beamed at them "He can put anyone in their place with just a look."

"Yeah," Niall stood up and wiped at his face "And I'm going to bribe him into putting you in your place if you curse like that again. You're a beautiful young lady. You don't need to be saying stuff like that."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Kate apologized reluctantly "You need to stop groping each other when I'm around then. By the time I'm old enough to leave this house I'm going to be traumatized for life."

"Oh my God. Such dramatics," Niall laughed "Here," He picked up three candles from the table and gave them to Kate then grabbed the BBQ lighter from the cupboard above the fridge "Light these candles in the living room so they'll be lit if the power goes out. Put them on the mantle so the twins can't reach them, okay?"

"Okay. You can go back to your groping. I'm staying in there," Kate said, taking the items in her hands and giving her parents a look.

Once she's gone from the room, Harry pinches the bridge of his nose and starts giggling "She's- oh my God she's such a Horan. She's like- she's like a female version of Bobby."

"Yeah. Yep. She is," Niall shakes his head, chuckling "She's something else."

Harry's giggles tapered off and his eyes grew soft as he shared a look with Niall "She's you, baby. She's all you and she's perfect."

"You big sap," Niall stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Harry again, hiding his smile in Harry's shirt "I love you."

"I love you, too," Harry kissed the top of his head "Thank you for giving me two of our beautiful children."

Niall couldn't really speak after that. He was too choked up. So he held Harry instead, and kissed him tenderly, knowing his husband would understand what he was trying to say.

After a few moments, they pulled apart and Niall composed himself. "Are the twins still in the playroom?"

"No," Harry shook his head "Its already dark outside. I told them to bring their toys into the living room. I didn't want them falling and hurting themselves if the lights go out."

"Good. That's good. Do you have your phone with you? If the lights go out you can use the flashlight so you can see to light the candles in here." Niall questioned. When Harry nodded, Niall kissed him quickly on the lips again "I'm going upstairs to fill Nori in. Kate said she was studying in her room."

He left the kitchen, making sure he had his phone with him in case he needed the flashlight, and headed upstairs to Nori's room. He was almost to the door when he stopped dead in his tracks. He could clearly hear Nori sobbing in her bedroom and his heart immediately sunk as he wondered what could be wrong.

He carefully stepped up to the door and gently knocked, calling out so she knew it was him "Nori? It's Daddy. Can I come in sweetheart?"

The sobbing immediately stopped and everything was quiet for a long time. Well it felt like a long time to Niall because his baby girl was clearly upset and sobbing in her room and he really, really didn't want to be stuck on the other side of the door right now. He knew he couldn't just barge in, though. She was going to be seventeen this year and she deserved her privacy. If she didn't want to talk to him, he had to respect that.

Eventually he heard her quiet voice on the other side of the door telling him it was okay to come in. He wasted no time opening up the door and stepping inside. He shut the door behind him, his heart constricting when he saw his daughter. She was curled up on her bed with a pillow clutched to her chest, her hair looked like a birds nest and her face was covered in running mascara from all her tears.

"What's wrong Little Lovey? Did something happen?" Niall asked as he walked over to her bed. When she started to sob really hard again, he crawled onto the bed and sat beside her, brushing a hand over her cheek "It's okay, sweetheart. I'm here. It's okay."

Nori sat up from where she was laying on the bed and practically threw herself at Niall, her body slamming into his so hard it nearly knocked him off the bed. Niall made a soothing noise and wrapped his arms around her tight so she knew she was safe and secure, then he ran a hand through her long, thick mane of dark hair over and over again while he rocked them slowly from side to side.

"It's okay, Little Lovey, I've got you. Let it all out, yeah? Get everything out and then we can talk later if you're up to it." Niall soothed.

He closed his eyes as he listened to his daughter's heart breaking sobs, his mind remembering the last time he had Nori in his arms like this, crying like this. It was almost seven years ago when she was just ten years old. Sure there had been tears since then and times she needed comfort but nothing as bad as this, nothing as serious as this.

It had happened in this very bedroom after a day out with the family. He and Harry had taken Finn, Nori and Kate out for ice cream and while at the ice cream truck in the park, a lady had been admiring their family, gushing over how much Kate looked like Niall and how they had such beautiful children. Niall hadn't thought anything of it at the time, just laughed and thanked the lady then they continued on with their family day.

It wasn't until they got home that Nori had taken off for her bedroom crying, completely surprising Niall and Harry. Niall offered to go after her while Harry kept an inquisitive Finn and a very oblivious Kate busy in the living room.

When he got to her room he found her sobbing on her bed so hard she could barely breathe and Niall had scooped her up in his arms, swaying her back and forth until her crying finally subsided. When it did, Niall gently coaxed her to tell him what was wrong. Niall remembered it like it happened yesterday.

"It's not fair, Daddy! It's not fair!" Nori had cried, her big, green eyes staring up at Niall full of tears.

"What's not fair Little Lovey? Talk to me, tell me what's on your mind" Niall had asked gently, running a hand soothingly down over her long hair cascading down her back.

"I don't look like you!" Nori had begun sobbing again "I-I-I'm not yours! Not like Rory and Kate. Even Finny is related to you. I'm the only one who isn't! It's not fair!"

Niall had been completely shocked for a bit, not knowing what to say. Not knowing how to make her feel better when she was so distraught. This is not what he was expecting. Not at all.

"Sweetheart. Where is this coming from, hmm?" Niall held her at arms length so he could look into her eyes.

"Everyone is-is always saying how much Rory is practically your twin and how Kate looks exactly like you, too. Finn doesn't really look like you that much but he's still related to you by blood. I'm the only one not related to you, Daddy!"

"Hey," Niall had spoken soft but firm "You know that doesn't matter, Nori. It never has and it never will. You _are_ mine. You're my baby girl. You're my first baby girl. I was the first person to hold you after you were born. I've been there for every day of your life, when you were happy or sad, when you felt sick or you were hurt. I've been there through all of it because I'm your Daddy. I don't care that you don't look like me. I love you so much, Little Lovey, more than anything."

"Really?" Nori had looked at him with wide green eyes full of tears and her bottom lip trembling "Even-even though I'm not related to you like Rory, Finn and Kate? You-you still love me?"

"Oh sweetheart," Niall had scooped his daughter up in his arms again, kissing her cheek and pressing his forehead to hers "I will _always_ love you. No matter what. I love all my children so much but I'm going to tell you a little secret okay?"

Nori had sniffled and nodded her head, her eyes never leaving his.

"I have a very, very special place in my heart just for you. Do you know why?" Nori shook her head "It's because you're a part of your Papa. He's the love of my life. You understand what that means right?"

"That-that you love Papa the most and he loves you the most and that's why you got married. So you could be together forever," Nori had said in a small, shaky voice.

"That's right, Little Lovey. I love your Papa the most and you're a part of him. You have his beautiful eyes and his soft, curly hair. You have his smile, his dimples, and you have his kind heart as well. You're so much like him and I see that everyday I look at you. Rory, Kate and Finn may be related to me but you are the only piece of your Papa that I have and because of that, you will always have a special piece of my heart. Do you understand?" Niall had asked, his thumbs brushing over her cheeks and wiping away her tears.

"Yes," Nori had nodded "I love you, too, Daddy."

"I'm so lucky you do! Now can you smile for me? Let me see those pretty dimples?"

A small smile had come across Nori's face but not enough to bring out her dimples so Niall had started tickling her, sending her into a fit of giggles.

Now here he was, seven years later, in the same situation, only this time it was something different bothering his little girl.

"Nori? Sweetheart? Can you tell me what's wrong?" Niall asked, his voice soft and soothing "I want to help you if I can."

"Daddy!" Nori cried, pulling back from Niall and wiping at her face with her hands "I hate boys!"

Oh. This was boy trouble. He could handle that right? He's a boy. He understands boys. He's had boy trouble before himself.

"Why do you hate boys, Little Lovey?" Niall asked carefully, sensing this could be a mine field he was walking into. Teenage girls can be very unpredictable.

"I just hate them! I need to like girls instead," Nori cried, a new wave of tears falling down her cheeks.

"Sweetheart," Niall's lips quirked up in a small smile "It doesn't exactly work that way."

Nori rubbed her hands over her face and hiccuped once before narrowing her eyes at Niall "Well it should!"

Niall chuckled and reached for his daughter, pulling her into his chest again "Well it doesn't, sweetheart. We don't get to choose who we're attracted to. It just is what it is. Did something happen with a boy? Did a boy do something to you? Do I need to kill anybody?"

"No. There's no need for killing. He didn't do anything to me like you're thinking. He didn't- he didn't hurt me physically or anything."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Niall kissed her forehead then rested his cheek against the top of her head.

"There's this guy at school. He moved here from Manchester over the Summer and started school here in September. I've had a crush on him since the first time I saw him. He's so cute and I love the way he dresses and the way he talks. He's in my maths class and I would spend the whole time staring at him and daydreaming about him like some stupid, love sick fool."

"You're not stupid. Liking someone, having a crush on someone, is never stupid. It's a part of life. We've all been there. Don't put yourself down, Little Lovey," Niall said, trying to console his daughter. He didn't want whatever happened to shake her confidence and make her feel down about herself.

"Well I feel stupid! We've been talking and flirting for weeks now and my friends and I were both convinced he was going to ask me out. Then I- then I heard him talking to his friends and it turns out he is planning on asking me out but only because he's a big Arsenal fan and he wants to meet Rory." Nori started crying again, her body shaking in Niall's arms "He was just planning on using me so he could meet Rory, Daddy."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Niall held his daughter tighter, feeling the tears building up in his eyes. He hated hearing his daughter cry like this and he wanted to go make sure the arsehole who made her cry is hurting just as much "I'm sorry that happened to you. Your Pop and I have always worried this kind of thing would happen to our kids. When Rory first came to live with us and the world found out about him, we both had some sleepless nights worrying people would try to use him to get close to your Pop. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out a way to keep it from happening but eventually we realized we couldn't. Not unless we locked our kids inside and never let them go outside. I'm just so sorry we couldn't protect you from this, Little Lovey."

"It's not your fault, Daddy. It's not. I couldn't see what he was doing. You didn't even know he existed. How could you have stopped anything?" Nori reasoned.

"I know, sweetheart. I just love you so much. I want to protect you always," Niall murmured against her hair.

"You can't though, can you? You and Pop taught us that. We can't always protect the ones we love but we can be there for them when they need us." Nori said quietly, her voice barely audible.

"My little girl throwing my own words back at me. You're too smart for your own good sometimes," Niall chuckled fondly before turning serious again "Listen Nori. I know it's really hard right now because this is all so fresh but I need you to know this wasn't your fault either. You didn't do anything wrong and you weren't stupid. Some people are just cruel and insensitive. They only care about themselves and don't stop to think about the consequences of their actions. Don't let this get you down. Don't let this change you. Don't close your heart off because of one dumb boy. You're only sixteen. There will be other crushes and there will be boys who like you back who like you for you. So don't be afraid to like someone again, okay? Crushing is a part of being a teenager and you should enjoy that like everybody else."

Nori was quiet for a bit, the only sound in the room being her sniffles, then she lifted her head and wiped at her cheeks with her hands, nodding her head at the same time "Okay. I'll try. Maybe not right now but I will eventually."

"Good girl. That's all I can ask of you. I love you, ya know? My Little Lovey," Niall grinned at his daughter.

Nori laughed and threw her arms around Niall again, burying her face in his neck "I love you, too, Daddy."

Niall smiled and held his daughter for a long time. Apparently long enough for Harry to come looking for them.

"Niall? Nori? Are you in there?" Harry tapped on the door "Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes."

Niall detached himself from Nori and gave her a questioning look before whispering "Do you want me to head out and get your Pop downstairs so you can clean up a bit?"

Nori shook her head and wiped at the remaining moisture on her face "No. It's okay. Could you maybe...explain everything to Pop though? I don't want to have to say it all again."

"Sure thing, Little Lovey," Niall quickly kissed the top of her head before standing up and going to open the door.

"Hey. You've been up here awhile," Harry said "Everything okay?"

Niall looked into Harry's eyes and mouthed "I'll tell you later." Then he opens the door wider and beckons Harry inside "Everything is fine, darlin'. I think our little girl could use a quick cuddle though."

"Oh," Harry's eyes moved over to Nori and Niall could immediately see the concern in his eyes. He doesn't make a big deal out of it, though. Trusting that Niall will fill him in later "Well I'm always up for some cuddles." Harry smiled and walked over to the bed with Niall beside him and climbed on the bed to wrap Nori in his arms.

"Make room for me!" Niall said, climbing onto the bed on the other side of Nori so that she was squat in between them.

"This isn't the first time we've done this is it?" Harry said, facing Niall with Nori in between them.

"Nope," Niall reached across Nori's body to link his fingers with Harry's "Nori, do you remember when you were little, you and Finn used to come climb in bed with us?"

"Sort of. I think I was too young to really remember. I remember doing it more when I was a little older and with Kate, not Finn. Finn must have been nine or ten by then."

"I remember all of it. We have so many good memories as a family and many more to come hopefully," Harry kissed Nori's forehead then smiled at Niall "Dinner will need to come out of the oven in two minutes so I need to get back downstairs."

"Okay. I'll be down soon. I just need to wash my face and fix my hair. I probably look like a raccoon with my mascara running everywhere," Nori said, pushing herself up into a sitting position.

"You look beautiful as always, baby girl. I love you so much, ya know? If you need to talk or need more cuddles later, let us know okay?" Harry sat up as well and smoothed his hand down over Nori's hair.

"Thanks Pop. I won't be long," Nori smiled at Harry then got up and headed down the hall to the bathroom.

Harry stood up and reached a hand out to pull Niall up then they walked down to the kitchen hand in hand "What happened?"

Niall sighed and swiped a hand down over his face "She's had a crush on a boy who moved here from Manchester over the Summer. They've been hanging out and flirting a lot. She thought he was going to ask her out but she overheard him today saying he was basically just using her so he could meet Rory. He's a big Arsenal fan."

"That son of a bitch!" Harry whisper yelled "I'll kill him, Niall. You find a place to hide the body."

Niall laughed loudly as they walked into the kitchen, letting go of Harry's hand so he could take the meatloaf out of the oven. He started gathering cutlery and drinking glasses to set the table, then he took down a stack of plates for Harry to plate the food on "I offered death. She said it wasn't necessary."

"She doesn't deserve this. Some people are so bloody selfish," Harry said, anger still evident in his eyes "We can't tell Rory about this either. He'll blame himself then he'll probably go to her school, find the kid and introduce him to his fist."

Niall snorted and placed the last fork on the table then walked up behind Harry to smooth his hands over his shoulders "I agree with you there. Now take a deep breath. Nori is fine, I'll tell you everything we talked about later. You don't want to look angry in front of the kids. They're very perceptive."

"I know," Harry sighed then took a deep breath and let it out slowly "I'm okay. Can you get Kate, Charlie and Matty from the living room?"

"Sure thing, darlin'," Niall leaned in to kiss his cheek "Dinner looks delicious, by the way. Thank you for making it."

Harry smiled bashfully at the comment. Niall loved how he could still make his husband blush after all these years. He made sure to compliment him often, not only because he deserved it but because he liked seeing the blush on his cheeks.

Chuckling softly, he headed for the living room to get his kids, only now realizing he's been home for an hour and not seen his boys yet. Normally the first thing he does when he gets through the door is attack his kids and Harry with hugs and kisses.

When he walks into the living room, a huge smile takes over his face when he sees his two blonde headed boys playing games on their tablets. Learning games, he was happy to see!

"My boys!!!" Niall cheered, running over to Matty first and picking him up in his arms, then next to Charlie.

"Daddy!!!" They both screamed, wrapping their little arms around his neck "Hi, Daddy. You have fun at work today?" Matty asks happily.

"I did," Niall kissed the little boys cheek, then turned to kiss Charlie "I'd have more fun with you though."

"Daddddyyyyy," Charlie giggled "You can't come to school with us. You already went to school. You're too big anyway. You have to be six to be in our class. You're like...twenty-six or something."

Kate, who was sitting on the couch, threw her head back and started cackling. Niall turned his head to face her and glared at her "Shut up you!" Then he turned back to Charlie and said "Yes, Charlie. I am twenty-six."

Kate got up and made her way toward the kitchen, Niall following her with the twins in his arms. Kate was still cackling when they got into the kitchen and Harry grinned at her then asked her what was so funny.

"Dad thinks he's twenty-six," Kate managed to say in between her laughing.

Harry tipped his head back so that he was looking at the ceiling and shaking his head from side to side slowly "I knew this day would come." He tipped his head back down so he could look at Kate "Call your brother's, Kate. The dementia is setting in. We'll need to decide a course of action."

"I can tell you what _my_ bloody course of action is!" Niall turned to glare at the both of them after he put the twins down then he kicked his foot in the air "My bloody foot will be going right up your-"

"Ah ah! Language darling. There are children present!" Harry sat down at the table with a smirk on his face.

"That's fine," Niall took his own seat at the table and poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher "Do you remember what we said we'd be doing later? Yeah. That's not happening now."

A loud half laugh, half snort came from Kate who's face was turning red from laughing so hard. The twins were giggling as well but they were only laughing because Kate was.

"Excuse me young lady? Is that your cell phone I see you typing away on? There's no phones at the table. Turn it completely off and put it in your pocket please," Niall scolded his daughter.

"Sorry but I couldn't resist relaying this scintillating conversation to Rory." Kate snickered, then she turned the phone around to face Harry and Niall, waving it around at them "Oh my God! He said-he said 'dad will never withhold-" She stops and eyes her little brother's for a minute, then decides to spell out the words they shouldn't be hearing "-S-E-X because they're both too H-O-R-N-Y. Seriously! Can I just say how much I love my big brother? So brilliant."

"He most certainly is not!" Niall reaches across the table and grabs Kate's phone from her, typing up his own text to Rory "Rory, this is your Father. STOP CORRUPTING YOUR SISTER!" Then he turns the phone off and puts it in his pocket "Everybody eat your dinner before it gets cold."

Of course as soon as he says that, there's a very loud gust of wind and then everything goes black.

"Papa?" Niall immediately hears Matty's scared voice.

"It's okay, love. Papa's here. So is daddy and Kate," Harry says in a soothing voice.

"Yeah. It's okay, Matty. You can hold my hand if you want. Daddy'll fix the lights, won't you daddy?" Charlie pipes up.

Niall can't help the fond smile that comes across his face as he takes his phone from his pocket to turn on the flashlight. Charlie was probably scared too, but he never showed it when Matty was around. He always took care of Matty.

Niall and Harry got the flashlights on their phones turned on at roughly the same time and just as they did, Nori walked into the kitchen with her own flashlight on.

"Nori, honey, can you help us light these candles please?" Harry stands up and hands her the BBQ lighter while picking up a box of matches for hisself and Niall.

They quickly light several candles, placing them all around the counter and table so they could see to eat their dinner, then they all take their seats again with Matty moving his chair closer to Niall's.

"Can everyone see well enough to eat?" Harry asks, looking around the table at everyone. They all say yes.

"You got everything ready just in time darlin'. The lights are out but we still have this delicious hot meal," Niall says, squeezing Harry's thigh.

"Yeah. It's good Pop. So delicious!" Kate says with a mouth full of food. She's definitely Niall's daughter.

Throughout the rest of the meal, they talked like normal, Harry and Niall wanting to hear about their kids day at school. Thankfully Kate and Charlie had plenty to say so Nori wouldn't have to contribute. Harry and Niall already knew how her day went.

When they were all finished, Kate and Nori cleared the table, leaving the dishes to be taken care of when the lights come back on, then the six of them head into the living room to decide what to do.

"I imagine it's going to get a bit cold in here without heat. I don't think it's a good idea to light a fire when it's so windy so I'll run upstairs and get some of the spare duvets from the closet. We can all cuddle together on the couch," Niall says when everyone starts taking a seat on the couch.

"Want me to come with you, Daddy? I can help and you shouldn't be alone in the dark. You might get scared," Charlie says in a matter of fact tone.

"I think that's a great idea, Little Munchkin. You have to hold my hand, though, so we don't trip on the stairs," Niall says, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Charlie always wanted to help and it was beyond cute that he thought he needed to go protect Niall from the dark.

Grabbing his son's hand, they make their way upstairs, each holding a regular flashlight. They all have phones except the twins but they didn't want to use them too much in case the power is out for a long time and they need to be able to call someone in case of an emergency.

When upstairs, Niall grabs some blankets then stops to get his I-pad as well as stopping in Nori's room for hers and in Kate's room for her headphones so she could watch a movie she had downloaded. He lets Charlie carry the I-pad and headphones while he carries the blankets then they carefully make their way back down to the living room.

Once there, Niall handed a blanket to Kate and one to Nori where the two girls were sitting next to each other on the L shaped couch. Then he sits next to Harry on the other part of the couch and they each have a twin in their lap and a blanket each over them.

"What do you Little Munchkins want to do? I have some movies you like on my I-pad," Niall kisses the top of Matty's head and runs his fingers through Matty's hair.

"I don't like the wind, Daddy," Matty says quietly "It sounds like it's going to come through the window."

"I know it does baby but it won't. This house is very strong and secure and you're with me and Papa. You're perfectly safe," Niall begins to gently rock Matty back and forth to soothe him. When he moves his hand under the blanket he realizes Matty and Charlie are holding hands and it makes him smile. He loves the bond twins have. He loves the bond his boys have. They had a rough start to life with a father nobody knew about and a teenage mother who didn't want them. Niall thinks he and Harry did a good job making sure that didn't affect them. They were the happiest little boys and Niall intended to keep it that way.

"You're the best Daddy in the whole world I think," Matty replied, cuddling his body even more into Niall's.

"Thank you, Matty. That's very nice of you to say,"Niall rested his chin on the top of Matty's head and cuddled him close. His eyes caught Harry's, who was looking at him from over the top of Charlie's head. He was smiling fondly at Niall and Niall smiled back at him just as fondly.

When he looked away he saw Kate already settled in under her blanket with her headphones in, engrossed in the movie she was watching already. When he looked at Nori, he could see she was reading a book on her own device. His girl's were okay, now it was time to see to his boys.

He opened his I-pad and started looking through the saved movies until the twins agreed on one, then he put the I-pad right between the boys so they could both see the screen equally. The movie started and Niall shifted around a bit so that he was curled into Harry as much as possible with the twins on their laps. He felt Harry's arm that wasn't around Charlie, come up and slide over his shoulders, pulling him close. Niall went willingly, sighing contentedly when Harry's fingers started massaging his neck.

There may be a nasty storm raging outside but inside, Niall was with his family and they meant everything to him. Everything was perfect.

  
~~~

  
"Wow. Storms like this are normal in New York. Not so much in the city but definitely up North. I didn't think they happened in London, not like this." Ozzy stood in front of the large floor to ceiling windows in the kitchen, looking out as the snow fell rapidly and blew around so much it made the visibility out there near zero.

"They don't usually," Finn walked up behind him and slid his arms around Ozzy's waist, his chest pressed to Ozzy's back "I was reading on the weather app that London hasn't seen snow fall like this in over fifty years. I don't think anyone has proper tires on their cars to drive in this type of weather "

"I'm glad you're not driving then. I'm glad you're here with me. It's like an episode of an American sitcom. Huge snowstorm. Getting stuck inside and losing the power for God knows how long. I love it!" Ozzy laughed at himself.

"It is kind of fun," Finn chuckled in his ear, the sound giving him goosebumps. He loved Finn's voice. He's probably obsessed with it actually. It's deep but not too deep and he's very soft spoken. Also, the accent. The accent makes him swoon. Literally makes his stomach feel all funny inside. He could listen to Finn talk for hours. He especially loves the way his name sounds coming off Finn's tongue. It's brilliant and he wants to hear Finn say it for the next seventy years. Oh my God. What?

"Are you in your head, love?" Finn's voice distracts him from his thoughts and he startles a bit then turns around to face him.

"Sorry. I was just thinking for a minute. You're right, it is fun to have a storm like this. Jacob will be happy when he wakes up in the morning and there's snow on the ground." Ozzy smiled at his boyfriend.

"It probably won't last long. It's February but it'll probably be ten degrees the next day and it'll melt quickly. It doesn't snow here much. This is so weird. I'm pretty sure we're not equipped to handle a lot of snow. No proper machinery," Finn says, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Probably not. We'd still be out driving in New York. We have snow ploughs and sand trucks for ice. A couple of inches of snow here is going to cripple London. I bet Heathrow is already closed." Ozzy laughed "But hey- it's an experience for the people of London. They may never see a snow storm again unless they travel."

Finn hummed and grabbed on to his hand, pulling him from the kitchen and back into the living room where Jacob was fast asleep in the fort they all built together before the lights went off. Thankfully they found candles in Kara's room to light because Ozzy certainly didn't have candles stashed away in a house that was being rented for him. He'll have to remember to thank his nanny for being obsessed with smelly candles.

"Look at him," Finn said fondly as he looked in on Jacob. "Fast asleep. Doesn't even hear the wind."

Ozzy grinned and sat down on the couch, waiting for Finn to join him so they could throw a blanket over themselves. When they were all settled with Finn curled into Ozzy's side, they spread the blanket out and sighed contentedly.

"He's a heavy sleeper anyway but I think you and Rory wore him out today," Ozzy said, kissing Finn's temple tenderly.

"We had fun," Finn laughed "Danny and Jacob are best mates now and Rory spent the whole time cooing over how cute they are. He's the biggest sap."

"And what about you? Are you a big sap?" Ozzy asked, his voice quiet. It didn't seem right to be too loud when the room felt so intimate with the soft glow from the candles.

"I think I am, yeah. Or- I want to be but I haven't had the chance yet. It was just friends with benefits with Brian. I liked him but I realized later it was just a crush. Then with my ex-girlfriend...I think I held back because I could tell deep down she wasn't how she portrayed herself to be. I think she told me she liked the things I did because she thought if she just showed me her way, I'd like it but I'm never going to like parties every night and excessive drinking. That's just not me."Finn explained.

"Who you are is amazing. I can't really understand why anyone would want to change it," Ozzy pressed kisses along Finn's jaw "You're pretty perfect the way you are."

"I'm not. I have faults just like everyone else," Finn ducked his head but Ozzy could still see the shy smile on his face.

"We haven't been together long enough yet for me to know your faults but I know I'll still think you're perfect. Faults are a part of a person. If you like someone, you can't just like the fun things. You have to accept the bad things, too, or it doesn't work," Ozzy said, mentally changing the word 'like' to 'love' in his head.

"I feel the same way," Finn tipped his head back to smile at him "My parents always taught us that. There are things my Dad does that my Pop hates and things my Pop does that my Dad hates, but my Pop once said to me that my Dad wouldn't be who he is without those things and he loves who he is so you accept the good with the bad and hopefully it all balances out."

"Your parents are great role models. It's really nice to see the way they look at each other," Ozzy says "I want that someday."

"Hey," Finn sits up a little so he can turn his head to look at Ozzy "Please tell me to shut up if you don't want to talk about this. I just-I know I don't know what happened in your family with your Dad, I just know he wasn't great to you. I guess I'm wondering how you managed to stay so positive? How you still believe in love so much when one of the people in this world who is supposed to love you most clearly didn't do a good job of it? Then after what your ex did to you, you _still_  believe in love and want to find it again someday. I'm not sure if I could be that strong."

"Well," Ozzy swallowed and brought a hand up to cup Finn's cheek before sliding it behind his neck and leaving it there so he could tangle his fingers in Finn's hair "I wasn't always so positive. My Dad left when I was twelve and it was a relief, to be honest. He needed to be gone but that didn't stop the hurt and feeling of rejection. It kind of felt like I was invisible, like he didn't even know I was there half the time so I decided to make myself visible. I dyed my hair a dark colour, I started to stay out way later than I should have and I found people who didn't care about the laws and were willing to tattoo me as long as I had the money to pay for it. I guess I became the stereotypical punk."

"God. Did these people at least show you how to care for a tattoo?" Finn asked with wide eyes.

"They did, surprisingly," Ozzy laughed "I've never had trouble with a tattoo. Really that's the worst thing I did. There was drinking but I never got drunk often and it wasn't the kind of drunk where you can't remember your name. It might have happened that way if my sister, Rachel didn't step in. She's older than me so she had a car and a job. She started taking me places with her so I wouldn't hang out with these new friends of mine anymore and one day we saw this guy busking in Manhatten. He was so good. The way his fingers effortlessly moved over the strings of his guitar. I immediately fell in love with it and my sister saw that so she bought me a guitar, got me lessons, and I started pouring every minute of my spare time into practicing. By the time I was seventeen I could play guitar, piano and drums and also discovered I could sing. I didn't know I could sing. My piano teacher walked in on me playing and singing and lost her damn mind. She said I was too good not to be heard and encouraged me to start performing in front of people."

"Are you serious? That's brilliant! Pop talks about music like that all the time. How it consumes him and he gets lost in it, how it can be exhausting just sitting down and writing something so emotional and personal. I don't understand it. I've never had a connection to music that way. I like it, I have tons of songs on my phone and in the car I like to listen to it but that's it for me. I always had trouble understanding when people say music saves them but listening to you...I kind of get it now. Music helped you stay focused. Kept you away from the bad stuff. I'm just- wow! Seriously, like, I feel kind of dumb but I _get_ it now. I _get_ it." Finn gushes, his face lit up with excitement.

"You're so adorable!" Ozzy laughed, pulling Finn into him and kissing him hard "You're so excited."

Finn smiled into the kiss, his two hands wrapped around Ozzy's wrists while Ozzy cups his face in his hands "Sorry," He says, sheepishly "I got a bit carried away there. Continue what you were saying."

"You're so cute," Ozzy shook his head and leaned in to kiss the tip of Finn's nose "So freakin' cute." Finn blushes, even by candle light Ozzy can tell "Anyway. Your question about love. I still believe in it because I've seen it. I know it exists. I understood that the moment I held Jacob for the first time. Love is real. It's out there. Sometimes you might have to wait for it and when you find it you have to work hard to keep it but there's no way I can't not believe in it when I look at my son's face everyday. No way."

"That's incredible," Finn sounded breathless "I wish I could understand that, a parent's love for their child."

"Someday you will and I'm warning you right now- the first time you see your son or daughter, it will hit you so hard you'll feel like you're going to fall so...be prepared." Ozzy says, chuckling.

"I can't wait, to be honest. My parents talk about it all the time. They try to explain how they felt when they saw me for the first time and it just does something to my heart because-because I'm not even theirs biologically, you know what I mean? Yet the minute they saw me they were willing to give up their lives for me without question. It's...overwhelming sometimes but in a good way."

"Harry talked about you all the time during 'The Voice'." Ozzy said, closing his eyes as he remembered "Niall would send him videos of you playing soccer and he would watch them over and over again. He made _me_ watch them over and over again-"

"Oh my God!" Finn whined, covering his face with his hands in embarrassment "Are you serious?"

"Oh dead serious," Ozzy laughed at the look on Finn's face "I didn't mind though. I enjoy soccer and to be honest, I was in awe a bit watching what you could do with your feet. I'd be sure a defender was going to strip you of the ball and then you just tap it through their legs and keep going or trap it with your heal then do some sort of crazy move to the side, dragging the ball with you. I knew you'd make it professionally."

"My God. Did he show you baby pictures too? Videos of me as a baby in the bath or walking around in my nappy?" Finn says sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"No," Ozzy laughed "But if those exist I would love to see them."

"Ha ha," Finn said, a deadpan look on his face.

"Someday maybe...yeah?" Ozzy teased.

"Maybe if you're really nice to me," Finn teased back.

Ozzy laughed and leaned in to kiss Finn again, taking his time this time. He held Finn close and nudged his lips open, slipping his tongue inside to tangle with Finn's own tongue. It was a slow kiss, their tongues stroking over each other slowly, until they both pulled back with smiles on their faces.

They were quiet for the next half hour, listening to the wind outside as it blows the snow around. Ozzy eventually moves back so that his back is pressed into the corner of the couch. He brings his legs up then pulls Finn down so he's laying between his legs with his head resting on Ozzy's chest.

"Oz?" Finn spoke up after they were settled and comfortable.

"Hmm?" Ozzy scratched his fingers through Finn's hair.

"I really like listening to you sing. Would you sing for a bit?" Finn asked quietly.

"Sure babe. What would you like me to sing?" Ozzy asked, smiling at Finn's request.

Finn thought about it for a bit, then said "Ya know, even though my Pop is the professional singer, my Dad is pretty good too and when I was little I remember him singing 'Blackbird' to me and Nori all the time. I loved it. Do you know that one?"

"'Course I do. Not many people don't know The Beatles. Wish I could have met Paul McCartney before he died. John Lennon, too. Unfortunately he was gone fifty years before I was even born."

"Pop met Paul when he was in his early twenties. Then years later he introduced Dad to him at some charity thing. Dad said he was pretty star struck" Finn chuckled "And it takes a lot to do that to my Dad."

"I'll have to ask them about it sometime. I'd love to hear about it." Ozzy said thoughtfully.

"I'd love to hear _you_ right now," Finn laughed and poked him in the ribs.

"Alright," Ozzy chuckled. He kissed the top of Finn's head one last time, then...he began to sing.

He sang the whole song, his fingers softly combing through Finn's hair. By the time he was done, Finn was fast asleep on his chest with a tiny smile on his face, the only sound in the room being the wind and snow outside.

He pressed a soft kiss to Finn's forehead, then closed his eyes to drift off to sleep himself. A single tear slipped from his eye and he silently laughed at himself for it. He was such a sap and he was so in love with the amazing man in his arms. Now he just had to figure out a way to tell him.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everybody!
> 
> Here is chapter nine. I have no idea how football contracts and all that stuff works so just pretend everything I mention in here makes sense haha It's fiction. I know you can do it :)
> 
> There's some drama, big stuff, coming up starting in chapter twelve. I hope you enjoy the fluff and smut in the meantime. 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts! I love hearing from you. It's a great motivation :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!

 

 

  **March 2043**

 

  
The next three weeks after the freak storm are pretty busy. Finn is busy with football with two away matches in three weeks as well as meetings with his agent about endorsement deals and a new contract. Chelsea were quite happy with Finn's performance and wanted to get him locked in for a long time. His agent knew just how valuable Finn was to them and was working hard to make sure Finn got every penny he deserved.

"Can I just say how absurd this is?" Finn scoffed at his agent, folding his arms across his chest.

"What's absurd?" His Pop asked him. They were sitting at the kitchen table at their house, his agent at the head of the table and Finn and his Pop sitting across from each other on the sides. Finn didn't need help understanding how contracts work . He's pretty smart when it comes to that stuff but he promised his parents he'd let them look out for him and make sure he wasn't getting screwed over in any way. In this case, his Pop was sitting in because his Dad made sure to remove himself from anything having to do with contracts with Chelsea. Even though he handled the money for Chelsea, he got someone else to handle everything having to do with Finn so nobody could say Finn was getting special treatment from the Club.

"The amount of money they're throwing at me! I'm not going to spend this much money in my whole life and this is only my contract with the team! We haven't talked about endorsements yet." Finn said, rolling his eyes.

Colin, Finn's agent, sat back in his chair chuckling "It's a lot of money because you're _that_ good. You're going to help this team win for years to come and they can't risk losing you. Already you're bringing more interest to the club. You're quickly becoming a fan favourite."

"Look at it this way, Finn," His Pop speaks up "Yes it's an obscene amount of money but think about all the good you can do with it. You don't have to let it change you. When I started making a lot of money I bought some expensive things like a house and a car, took my Mum and sister on vacations and I didn't feel bad for it because I worked really hard for what I got and I donated a hell of a lot to charity. You can do the same thing if you want. Find causes that you're really passionate about and help them out."

"I would also encourage you to invest wisely," Colin said, clicking his pen on the table "I know no athlete ever wants to hear this but the fact of the matter is, injuries happen and nobody can ever know when. Take care of your money because you never know when all of this could end. It just takes one freak injury."

"You're right, I don't want to think about that but I do understand what you mean. My Dad will help me with investments. He knows what he's doing," Finn said, shaking his head to try and get rid of the image in his head of a career ending injury.

"Niall is very good, yes. I've known him a long time. He's smart and he's a good guy. When he mentioned you to me a few years ago and asked if I wanted to be your agent, I couldn't say yes fast enough. It's my job as your agent to make sure you get the best deals and you don't get scammed and it's really nice to have parents like yours who want that too and who understand what's going on," Colin said, smiling at the both of them.

"There are parents that try to steal from their kids aren't there? When they're minors?" Finn asked.

"Unfortunately. Some parents want to live the high life. They want to quit their jobs and live off their children. You don't have to worry about that. Talk to Niall and he'll make sure all this money is taken care of for your future."

"You'll be able to provide nicely for your family for the rest of your life, Finn and you work so hard so don't feel guilty about it and don't let anyone make you feel guilty either," His Pop said, reaching across the table to put a hand over one of Finn's own.

"I'll leave these contracts with you. Go over them carefully, take the time to think about if there's anything else you want, talk it over with your parents, and then get back to me. You're an adult, Finn, but it doesn't hurt to take advantage of the fact you have two smart parents who love you and want what's best for you." Colin said as he gathered his briefcase and stood up from the table.

Finn and his Pop both stood up as well, seeing Colin to the door and Finn assured him he'd go over everything carefully. Once he left, Finn talked with his Pop for a few more minutes, then he had to leave to pick the twins up for school since he promised he would take them to the park to play footie with them.

The rest of his time he spent with Jacob so Ozzy could record with his Pop. It was good. He was becoming close with the little boy and couldn't imagine what he'd do without him at this point. He hoped he'd never have to find out.

Of course part of being busy meant he and Ozzy didn't have a lot of alone time together. Finn would spend time at his house but they couldn't exactly do anything physical with Jacob around and there were times Finn was so exhausted from a hard practice that he fell asleep in Ozzy's arms on the couch before they got a chance to do anything.

Finn didn't mind, really. He loved the hand jobs and blow jobs they shared and wanted nothing more than to finally go all the way with his boyfriend, but sex didn't define their relationship. They genuinely just liked being in each other's company, they could talk for hours, they made each other laugh, they supported each other when one of them had a bad day, they even asked each other for advice. They were building a solid relationship and as each day went on, Finn was falling even more deeply in love.

It was when they had been together for a month, the opportunity to be alone presented itself and Finn didn't waste any time accepting it.

"Sooooo Finny," Rory came waltzing into Finn's bedroom one Sunday evening after the family dinner they always have. He had a shit eating grin on his face and was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet with his hands behind his back.

"Sooooo Rory," Finn looked up from the video he was watching, giving his brother a weird look.

"Sooooo I've come to help you with a booty call!" Rory said, the grin still on his face.

Finn carefully stared at his brother for a minute before raising an eyebrow at him "Okay. That sounds a bit disturbing if I'm honest."

"Finn!" Rory threw himself down on the bed, rolling his eyes in exasperation "Shut up. Do you want to fuck your boyfriend or not?"

"Rory!!!" Finn yelled, jumping off the bed to slam his door shut "Keep your voice down. What if Nori or Kate were in the hallway?"

"Relax. Jesus " Rory cursed, pushing himself into a sitting position "I'm not stupid. Everyone is downstairs trying to kill each other over board games. I told them I was coming up to get you since you've become anti-social tonight."

"I'm not anti-social. I just came up for a few minutes to watch something I didn't get a chance to finish before dinner," Finn said.

"Let me guess," Rory reached out quick like a snake and snatched the I-pad from Finn "Yep. There it is! Just as I thought. Ozzy, front and centre. What is this? One of his concerts?"

"Yeah," Finn blushed a little "From New York where he's from. That's Madison Square Garden."

"Hmm. That's impressive. Only his first tour and he played The Garden?" Rory pressed play on the video, an impressed look on his face.

Ozzy's voice filled the room again and Finn couldn't help the smile that came across his face. His boyfriend was gorgeous standing on stage in front of twenty thousand people, sweat glistening on his forehead as he strummed his acoustic guitar. He was singing a slow song, kind of haunting, and the audience was filled with people waving their phones in the air with the flashlights on.

"Wow," Rory said in awe, his fingers absentmindedly scratching at the stubble on his cheek "I knew he was good but I didn't pay attention to _how_ good because this is brilliant."

"Yeah," Finn said softly, a proud smile on his face "He's pretty brilliant. I'm not surprised his debut album did so well. Plus there's his personality. He's outgoing and fun. It's infectious."

"Yes well, I'm here to tell you you can be outgoing and fun together this coming weekend. Danny loves playing with Jacob so Anna and I would love to have him over Friday night. I know your match next week is on Sunday so we can keep him all day Saturday as well. I'm out for the match on Saturday because of the mild ankle sprain I got last week so I'll be home," Rory said "You can be completely alone with your boyfriend. Go on a date, fuck like bunnies, I don't care what you do."

"Obviously we're not going on a date. Nobody knows about us yet. Paps would see us for sure " Finn rolled his eyes.

"Then have a date at his flat or go out with a group of friends. Nobody will suspect anything if you're out in a group,"

"I'll talk to Ozzy about it and let you know. I'm not even sure how Jacob would feel being left in a strange place over night. Some kids don't like that," Finn considered "I'll definitely ask, though. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Rory clapped him on the shoulder and stood up "Now let's get downstairs before nosy people come looking for us."

"Nosy people as in...Kate?" Finn laughed.

"Yes. Our lovely Katherine." Rory nodded his head, his laughter mixing with Finn's.

"She's exactly like you, ya know," Finn teased as he stood up and walked out into the hallway "You both look like Dad and you have his personality too. Which is a bit of a disaster for the world because the three of you get that personality from Bobby."

Rory threw his head back as they descended the stairs, his cackling laughter bouncing off the walls "I can't even deny it but Dad tries to pretend he was a perfect angel growing up. Get grandpa to tell you some of the stories if he hasn't already"

Finn chuckled and shook his head as they walked into the living room "Will do."

"Will do what?" His Dad asked, looking up from the board game they were playing. It looked like good old classic Monopoly.

"I told him to ask grandpa to tell him stories about your youth. They're very entertaining ya know," Rory took a seat on the couch, picking Maddie up and holding her on his lap.

"Oi!!" His Dad shouted "Don't listen to a word Bobby says, Finn. He lies. Every word out of his mouth is a lie!"

"So you didn't strip naked and do an Irish jig in the middle of the footie pitch at your school?" His Pop looked at his Dad with a raised eyebrow.

"'Course I did!! It was the best jig anyone's ever seen too!" His Dad said, a gleeful look on his face.

"Yeah well, maybe you can refrain from doing that at my next match," Finn rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Can't promise that! Not if I'm on the whiskey!" His Dad laughed loudly, every adult in the room joining in.

Finn shook his head and took a seat on the floor around the coffee table where the game was being played. He watched for awhile as his parents, Anna and Nori played, a smile seemingly stuck on his face. His family was just so fun. They were loud and boisterous and full of funny stories. It was impossible not to have a good time when he was with all of them.

Eventually, Rory and Anna got their kids together and went home. The little ones needing to get into bed because they have school tomorrow. That meant it was time for Charlie and Matty to get to bed as well, so Finn, Nori and Kate cleaned up the living room, making sure all the games were neatly put back in the cupboard where they belonged.

After they finished cleaning up, Nori made them hot chocolate and the three siblings sat on the couch watching Downton Abbey. It was a forty year old show but they didn't care. Their parents watched it during its first run and while watching it on Netflix recently, they got their kids addicted.

Their parents joined them once the twins were asleep, curling up together on the love seat to watch a few episodes with them. The lights were turned down and Finn watched the way his parents were acting, how they were holding each other. His Dad was laying across the couch and his Pop was sitting in between his legs with his back pressed against his Dad's chest while his Dad rested his chin on his Pop's shoulder so he could see the telly. Every once in awhile, his Dad would turn his head enough to kiss his Pop's neck or under his ear, then he'd whisper something to him that had them both laughing quietly.

Finn wanted that. He may be only nineteen but he knows twenty-five years from now he wants to be doing exactly what his parents are doing right now and he wants to have his kids all around him and by God he wanted the person on the couch with him to be Ozzy.

The thoughts were overwhelming him and he tried to take some deep breaths in to calm down. His heart was _aching_ to have what his parents have. He had so much love inside of him and he just needed the right person to give it to. He believed he found that person but they've only been dating for a month. He can't tell Ozzy all of this yet. It might scare him away. _Finn_ was scared. This was all hitting him so suddenly. He just needed to go to his room and call Ozzy. Just to talk to him until he was able to calm down.

"Hey. I'm going to head up to bed, okay?" Finn stood up from the couch and kissed both his sisters on the forehead then turned to his parents.

"Alright love. Sleep well. We love you," His Pop said, a sleepy smile on his face. It looked like Finn wouldn't be the only one going to bed soon.

As Finn was walking past the love seat to leave the living room, his Dad's hand wrapped around his wrist gently and he looked up at him, speaking quietly "Do you want to meet me after work tomorrow for a pint? At that pub that makes the chips the way you like? Just me and you. We haven't done anything together for a long time."

"Sure Dad. Text me when you leave work and I'll meet you there," Finn said, a smile on his face at the thought of spending time with just his Dad. They used to do it all the time but lately between his Dad's work and his football and now Ozzy, they haven't done anything for awhile.

"Great!" His Dad's face lit up "Love you, Bub. Goodnight."

"Love you, too, Dad. Goodnight," Finn said, then he left to walk up to his room with a smile on his face.

He stopped in the bathroom first to brush his teeth and wash his face, then he went down the hall to his bedroom and stripped down to his boxers, throwing his dirty clothes into his clothes hamper.

He got in bed and got comfortable then decided to call Ozzy on FaceTime instead of just calling him on the phone. He grabbed his I-pad from his bedside table and went into FaceTime, selecting Ozzy's name and video call then waited to see if he would pick up.

"Hey you," Ozzy's soft smile came onto the screen "Haven't seen you today. Missed that face."

"Only my face?" Finn teased, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh you know I missed a lot more than your face," Ozzy smirked, his tongue playing with his lip ring.

Finn nearly groaned because this was turning hot already and they barely even said anything to each other.

"Well how about this Friday, you and me go out for a bit, then go back to your place and stay up all night? Rory and Anna have invited Jacob to sleep over on Friday night so he can play with Danny. I don't have a match until Sunday so they'll keep him all day Saturday as well. We can be completely alone," Finn said, biting his lip as he waited for some kind of response from Ozzy.

"Are you serious, baby?" Ozzy looked shocked but in a good way.

"Very serious. I told Rory I'd ask if Jacob would mind being in a strange house with people he just met,"

"Oh. No. He'll go anywhere, that kid. It's a bitch to try and convince him not to talk to strangers. Rory and Danny aren't strangers anyway. Jacob will be so excited I expect!" Ozzy smiled through the screen at Finn.

"Great! I'll give Rory your number so you can plan everything with him," Finn said "I really can't wait to be alone with you, Oz. Completely alone for hours and hours on end."

"Are you trying to get me worked up, Finnegan Horan? I think you are," Ozzy grinned cheekily into the camera.

"Maybe," Finn winked "Ya never know." Finn laughed at the look on Ozzy's face before continuing to talk "Would you be interested in going out with me?"

Ozzy's eyes widened in surprise "I am very interested but I thought we weren't doing that yet?"

"I know. This would be in a group though. We obviously wouldn't be able to touch or anything but if we're in a group and we get papped they'll simply see a group of friends out for a drink," Finn explained "I just- I really want you to meet my friends. I know they won't know you're my boyfriend but I still want you to meet them, get to know them, become a part of their lives because when we are out, I want us all to hang out all the time."

"You know I'd love to meet them, baby. Whatever you want," Ozzy said, without any hesitation.

"Really?" Finn's eyes lit up, he could see it on the screen.

"Yes really," Ozzy chuckled "What did you have in mind?"

"I have to talk to everybody and see if they can make it but there's this low key club we like to go to. It's got lots of space for tables to sit down and have a drink at, the music is great, not so loud you can't talk to the person next to you, and there's lots of room to dance. I'm not a big party guy or drinker but this place I really like. I feel comfortable there. It's relaxing." Finn explained.

"That sounds great actually! I like the type of place you're describing," Ozzy said "Who are you inviting?"

"Alexa, obviously. You can meet her properly this time. I'd like her to meet you when you're not yelling," Finn joked, laughing when Ozzy cringed "It's fine, love. We're past that. Anyway, two of my good friends from high school, Kellan and Asa, then a few guys from the team I've become good friends with. I introduced my old friends to my new friends, they all hit it off and now we have a quirky little group going on."

"Sounds great," Ozzy laughed "Who are you close with from Chelsea?"

"Kyle, Ben, and Diego." Finn said "Kyle and Ben are defence and Diego is a striker like me."

"I know that," Ozzy laughed "I watch your matches and I was watching soccer before I met you as well."

"Right. Yes. I knew that." Finn grinned sheepishly "Alexa will probably bring a couple of friends from Uni so she isn't outnumbered by men and that should be it unless one of the guys brings a girlfriend."

"Well I can't wait. I really want to get to know your friends. Maybe I can even get some stories out of them about you," Ozzy said slyly.

"Probably," Finn snorted "Alexa is a traitor sometimes but I love her anyway and she never gives away the important stuff, just silly things."

"It's nice that you've remained friends since you were five. That doesn't happen a lot. Certainly not to me. I lost touch with my childhood friends when I went through that phase I told you about, then music took over my life and while they all went off to college, I was working two jobs to support my baby," Ozzy said, a look of regret in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, love," Finn says softly, wishing he could reach through the screen to comfort his boyfriend.

"It's okay. I've made new friends, great friends, since then. All of which I can't wait for you to meet. Wanna show you off. Bring my sexy, British boyfriend to America and make everyone jealous," Ozzy said, a silly grin on his face.

Finn laughed loudly, a blush creeping up his neck and over his cheeks "I'd love to meet your friends. Tell me about your best friend? You've mentioned him in passing but we never actually got into anything deep."

"Christian. Or-we all call him Chris," Ozzy smiled fondly. His body started to move around on the screen and Finn realized he was just making himself more comfortable on the bed "I was working in a diner during the day then playing different clubs at night. One club was my favourite. It was more like a pub actually and Chris was the bartender. We have a lot in common and just hit it off right away. He listened to a lot of shit when I was terrified about raising a baby on my own, he was supportive when I showed him a new song I wrote and was honest about if I should change something in it. We kind of became like brother's so when I won the show, I went straight back to New York and told him if my album does well and I go on tour, he's my drummer and I won't take no for an answer. Oh- he plays the drums. I should have mentioned that. Anyway. When I was getting ready for my first tour he had some family issues and couldn't join me but when Tommy screwed me over with my ex, Chris was the logical person to call to be the new drummer."

"He sounds great. Does he know about us?" Finn asked.

"No," Ozzy frowned "I thought we weren't telling people except Kara and Rory?"

"Well, I mean- he's your best friend so I assume he can be discreet right? He's not going to want to hurt you and um...Alexa hasn't said anything but I suspect she knows," Finn said sheepishly.

Ozzy burst out laughing "Oh? Why do you think so?"

Finn groaned and blushed profusely, averting his eyes so he's looking straight ahead instead of down at Ozzy "Um...okay. Don't laugh at me okay? I- she came over one day and I was watching you tube videos of you and I apparently had heart eyes."

"Oh my God!" Ozzy threw his head back, laughing loudly and making Finn pout. When he notices Finn's face he slows his laughter to a giggle "Sorry. I'm not laughing at you baby. I'm just laughing at the situation. What were you watching on YouTube?"

"It was an interview you did. You were so amazing. You were laughing and making the interviewer laugh. At one point she couldn't even talk she was laughing so hard and I could even hear the crew behind the scenes laughing. You just-you light up a room with that laugh and your smile. You're so funny and you have this great personality. Everybody likes you. It's impossible not to like you," Finn gushed.

"Yeah? Well I have a confession to make. I watch videos of you online all the time. I love watching you play soccer. You're so brilliant at it and I just want to be there right in the front with your jersey on and shouting that you're mine. I just- I like you so much, Finn. So much. You're all I can think about most days," Ozzy says, his voice so soft at the end that Finn can barely hear him.

"It's the same for me," Finn whispered just as softly.

"I can't wait to spend Friday night with you," Ozzy's hand came toward the camera and Finn realized it was because he was tracing a finger over his face on the screen.

"Yeah. Friday."

That was a promise.

 

~~~

  
Finn walked into the pub to meet his Dad at just after six the next evening. When he walked in he let his eyes adjust to the dim light inside, then looked around for his Dad, finding him sitting at the bar with a pint and laughing loudly with the bartender. Finn shook his head fondly and walked over to the bar to take the empty seat next to his Dad.

"Alright Dad?" He asked with a smile.

"Finnegan!" His Dad crowed, turning on his bar stool and slapping Finn on the back "Jimmy," He beckoned the bartender, who had stepped away for a second, over "Jimmy this is my boy I was telling you about. Proud of him I am!"

"Ay," Jimmy held out a hand to shake Finn's "I don't need an introduction to your boy, Niall. I'm a Chelsea fan aren't I? I see your boy every week on the telly if I can't make it to the stadium." He releases Finn's hand and fiddles with the towel slung over his shoulder "What are ya havin'? It's on the house."

"Oh!" Finn's eyebrows shot up in surprise "You don't have to-"

"Let the man buy ya a drink, Finn. It'll make the poor bastard happy," His Dad laughed, leaning over the bar to slap Jimmy on the shoulder "Good to meet ya Jimmy. I'll be at that table over there in the corner when you get your drink, Finn."

Finn nodded then rolled his eyes at his Dad. The Irish always comes out in him when he's in a pub. Especially when he's talking to another Irish person. Same thing happens to Rory. It's kind of funny. Finn likes it.

"I'll have whatever Dad's got, Jimmy. Thanks," Finn said, smiling at the bartender.

"No thanks necessary, lad. Chelsea hasn't won in a long time. Now that you're with the team that'll all change. I suspect you'll have thousands of people lined up to buy you a drink soon enough," Jimmy said, producing a pint glass full of beer in front of him "Cheers."

"Cheers!" Finn held his pint up then turned around to head to the table where his Dad was sitting. As soon as he did his Dad started talking.

"Sorry. Sorry. I know you get embarrassed when people gush about ya but I can't help it. I'm so fuckin' proud of ya! I can't believe you're me son sometimes," His Dad says, looking at him with a beaming smile on his face.

"It's okay, Dad," Finn chuckled and lifted his beer to his lips for a sip "I know you're proud of me. I don't mind really. Just- not in front of a large crowd, yeah? You know how I hate the attention being on me."

His Dad hums and lifts his glass to drain the remainder of his pint then waved his hand at Jimmy to signal he wanted another one "So. What's going on with you? Anything new?"

"Nah. Not really," Finn shook his head "Same old thing. Training, playing matches, going out with my friends "

"Uh huh," His Dad nodded his head then leaned back when Jimmy placed another pint on the table for him "Thanks Jim." When the bartender was back behind the bar, his Dad leaned in again, his forearms flat on the table "No girl or boy in your sights then?"

Finn groaned and picked his pint up, taking a long drink from it "You've been talking to Pop haven't you?"

"No," His Dad sat back with a frown on his face "Why? Does he know something I don't know?"

Finn's cheeks flushed and he cursed under his breath. Looked like his own damn mouth got him into trouble this time "Yeah. I guess he does. Nothing serious so don't get in a strop. I can see you pouting."

"Oh shut up," His Dad glared at him, not really succeeding in looking angry. He just looked like a sulking little boy "Are you dating someone and didn't tell me?"

"Dad," Finn sighed "Look, Pop kind of surprised me one morning, saying how I look really happy lately. He asked if it was because I met someone and I told him I didn't want to talk about it really, because it was new and I didn't know where it was headed yet. That's it. That's all he knows."

"Oh," His Dad furrowed his brow for a minute then a smile reappeared on his face just like that. His Dad could give him whiplash sometimes with how easily he can get over stuff "Well that's why I was askin' ya meself. I noticed ya lookin' kinda dreamy lately and wondered if you met someone. So ya 'ave then?"

"Oh my God!" Finn snorted "You turn so Irish when you're in an Irish pub."

His Dad threw his head back, cackling like a crazy person "Can't help it. The Irish is always there just waitin' to come out."

"I can tell," Finn smirked.

"My question still stands. Can't go changin' the subject on me. I'm not drunk yet. This is only me second pint!" His Dad held his pint glass up in front of him, smiling widely.

"Yes and thank god you're not drunk. I've seen how loud you get. You're exactly like Grandpa," Finn says, then whines when his Dad kicks him under the table.

"Stop changin' the subject!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down. Jesus," Finn held his hands up in front of him placating his Dad "Yes there is someone and it's still new so I'd rather not talk about it yet."

"Fair enough," His Dad nodded "Am I allowed to know the gender at least?"

"It's a him," Finn rolled his eyes "I'm dating a guy."

"That's great, Bub!" His Dad positively beamed at him and slid a hand across the table to squeeze one of Finn's "You seem really happy so I hope this works out the way you want it to."

And just like that, the thick Irish accent was gone. His Dad always turned more into what Finn liked to call his 'proper' self when he's being a serious adult. He probably learned it from his Pop.

"I hope it does too. So far it's going well," Finn said quietly, a blush creeping over his cheeks again "Actually..."

"Actually what?" His Dad asked, his full attention on Finn "I don't want you to talk about this if you're uncomfortable, Finn. Just know I'm here if you want to. Day or night."

"I know," Finn nodded then looked around at the tables around them. There was nobody sitting near them so he was confident in their privacy "Can I ask you something? Like, I just need you to answer me, not judge me or anything okay?"

"Absolutely," His Dad said, folding his hands in front of him on the table.

Finn swallowed and tried to look his Dad in the eye but couldn't so he looked down instead and played with his beer mat "How did you know for real that you were in love with Pop? That it wasn't just a crush?"

His Dad was silent for a minute and when Finn looked up he was leaning back in his chair and blowing out a long breath "It's a bit of a story."

"I've got time if you do," Finn said quietly.

"'Course I do. I always have time for my babies," His Dad smiled at him "Let me just text your Pop and tell him you and I are having so much fun we won't be home for awhile. Can you order us some dinner? I'm starvin'. You know what I like "

Finn nodded and got up to place their order at the bar and got himself another pint in the meantime. When he was done, he walked back over to the table and sat down in time to see a silly grin on his dad's face.

"What?" He asked, half laughing.

"Your Pop," His Dad chuckled and slid his phone across the table to Finn. Finn picked it up and there was a text from his Pop along with a photo. The text just said for his Dad to take his time and he'd see him when he got home. The accompanying photo was of his Pop grinning into the camera with a grinning twin on each side of him. Then there's another text that simply says love you, love you, love you.

"That's so cute," Finn chuckled, his heart constricting with love for his Pop and the twins but also because this is exactly what he wants with Ozzy.

"Yeah. You're all cute. Every single one of ya," His Dad smirked "Anyway. I've got a story to be telling don't I?"

Finn nodded and settled in, one hand around his pint glass as he waited for his Dad to speak.

"It was a bit complicated for your Pop and I. We told you about his boyfriend, Jack, dying in a car accident and how we met in a chat room for people who are grieving. Well for me, it wasn't so fresh. My husband died three years before but it was still really fresh for your Pop. It took a long time for him to open up but when he did we became good friends and we trusted each other a lot. I think as time went by, I knew I was starting to like him but I shoved that aside, buried it deep down because it was so inappropriate. We were friends and he was still grieving. It wasn't right for me to have feelings for him."

His Dad stopped for a minute to drink some beer before picking up where he left off.

"That changed on the first anniversary of Jack's death. Your Pop went to the grave site with Jack's parents and I knew it was going to be bad for him so I took the day off work and I went to his house, waiting in my car for him because I knew he would need it. I knew what it felt like. I remembered the first anniversary of Aiden's death like it had just been yesterday..."

He stopped talking again, his eyes looking far away, like he was reliving everything in his head.

"When your Pop got home he...he wasn't doing too good to say the least. He was in so much pain. It was all over his face and it practically took my breath away." His Dad remembered, a slight hitch in his breath "I realized I was in love with him in those few seconds when he got out of his car and I got out of mine and we walked toward each other- more like threw ourselves at each other, and in my head I was screaming at God or whoever to take his pain and put it on me. I begged and I pleaded in my head to please, please put it on me because I lived through it once, I figured I could do it again."

Finn stared across at his Dad with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open a fraction. He could feel his heart beating rapidly as he thought about how both his parents must have felt in that moment. His Pop crippled by grief and his Dad desperately trying to bargain with a higher power to stop it. It took his breath away.

"Anyway," His Dad sighed and finally looked at Finn again, his eyes no longer staring off into the distance "That night when I went home after making sure your Pop was okay, I was reeling. When Aiden died I swore I'd never marry again. I swore I'd never let anyone that close to me again because the pain is excruciating when you lose that person. Yet there I was, quite willing to face that pain again if it meant sparing Harry."

"Shit," Finn whispered, his eyes moving around everywhere as he tried to take everything in. The waitress came with their food and they both took the time to salt their chips, his Dad adding extra ketchup to his burger because he always says restaurants don't put enough on. By the time his Dad spoke again, they'd both eaten half their chips and a quarter of their burgers.

"It doesn't always have to be that dramatic though. Realizing you're in love with someone. I think sometimes it could just be simple things like the way they smile at you or the way they laugh or something they say to you. It could be the way they make you feel. Maybe they make you feel safe or maybe when you think of them it feels like home. I think when it happens though, when you fall in love and you realize it, you'll know."

"Wow," Finn breathed out, picking up a chip and slowly chewing on it "That's...intense. I don't think you've told us that story before."

"No," His Dad shook his head "Falling in love was amazing, obviously, but what led us to it, the pain and heartache, it's not something we like to bring up much."

Finn nodded in understanding "I won't ask anymore questions if you don't want me to."

"Of course you can. It's been almost thirty years. It's not really painful to talk about anymore. We just figured it's kind of depressing to be talking about with our kids. Rory knows a lot of it and you're older now so I don't mind,"

"Well...sorry, it's just-I just have a lot of trouble picturing you with anyone but Pop. With how in love you are, I just forget you had lives before you met each other." Finn says "It's just...bizarre."

His Dad laughed and took a drink from his pint "I can imagine it would be."

"Do you ever think about him? Aiden I mean?" Finn asked carefully, afraid maybe he was going too far.

"Sure. Not often but I do sometimes. On the anniversary of his death, obviously, but sometimes...I'll see something that will remind me of him. Also, sometimes Charlie will say something and I swear to Harry that Aiden has been reincarnated in him," His Dad said, shaking his head and laughing a bit.

"So Aiden was a little shit sometimes? Like Charlie?" Finn grinned.

"Most definitely," Niall agreed.

"Do you think- do you think he's somewhere looking out for you?"

His Dad sucked in a sharp breath and Finn was sure he'd gone way too far when his Dad let the breath out slowly and he smiled fondly at Finn "Ya know...it's funny you of all people would ask that."

"Why?" Finn asked, a confused look on his face.

"We never told you this but while in the NICU you got an infection and spiked a high fever. We were back at the hotel sleeping and I-I had a dream. I was at home, in the very house we still live in now, and I heard you crying but I couldn't find you. I looked everywhere, I was frantic and you kept screaming louder and louder until I went into the kitchen and Aiden was sitting at the table. He told me to wake up, my son needed me and that's when I woke up, freaked out beyond belief and shaking so bad your Pop thought something was seriously wrong with me, especially when I kept saying we had to get to the hospital. We got dressed quickly and took off for the hospital. It wasn't until we were five minutes away that we got the actual call telling us you were sick. It was- it was-"

"Creepy?" Finn supplied the word, his whole body covered in goosebumps.

"Yeah. Creepy. We were pretty spooked. It was like he was keeping you safe for me. I don't- I don't know any other way to explain it, to explain how I knew you were sick before the nurse even called. So...maybe he is somewhere looking out for me and my family. That's something he would do. He was a good man and he would have wanted me to be happy," His Dad said with certainty.

"Wow," Finn swiped a hand over his face, covering his mouth with his palm for a minute "Its going to take me a minute to wrap my brain around that."

His Dad laughed loudly and balled his napkin up, throwing it down onto his empty plate "Can't blame ya. I think I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it."

Finn was still wide eyed and silent a couple of minutes later, so his Dad stood up, laughing, and went to pay the bill. When he came back they put their jackets on and walked outside.

"I left my car at work so I could drink a bit. We can walk home from here unless you're not going home," His Dad said when they stepped out onto the street.

"I'm going home," Finn said, still kind of distracted by what his Dad told him.

"You know, I don't know if it was Aiden looking out for you or not but if it was, I'm so grateful. You were only ten days old so you don't remember but we were so scared. We sat with you, next to your incubator holding your little hand for thirty-six hours until the fever broke and we were told you'd be okay." His Dad said, his voice thick with emotion.

Finn looked over at him and saw he was walking with his hands in his pockets and looking down at the ground "Are you okay, Dad?"

"What?" His Dad's head jerked up and he looked at Finn with watery eyes "Oh! Yes, I'm fine. I was just remembering. I miss the days you were small enough for me to carry around in the crook of my arm. You grew up too fast. I mean, I like that you're an adult and we can go to the pub and have lads nights with Rory and Louis but I miss my little boy sometimes. I used to hold you for hours and hours sometimes. Your Pop would say 'he's asleep, Niall, you can put him in his cot' but I refused. I liked having you close. It-" His Dad cut himself off with a chuckle "Well you'll understand one day when you have your first baby."

"Yeah. I really want to have kids someday. They'll be lucky kids with you and Pop as their grandparents. I plan on being just like Rory and constantly being at your house with my kids." Finn laughed.

His Dad laughed too but it almost sounded like a sob and when Finn looked at his Dad, alarmed, he saw tears in his eyes but a huge smile in his face "We'd really, really love that, Bub. So much."

Finn smiled back at his Dad then they were silent the rest of the way home, walking the rest of the way with their arms across each other's backs.

  
~~~

 

On Friday afternoon, Ozzy showed up at Rory's house to drop Jacob off for his sleepover and was welcomed into the house by a very happy looking Rory.

"Hey Ozzy! Hi Jacob! Come on in," Rory ushered them in, closing the door behind them.

"Hi Rory!" Jacob practically shouted "I here to play with Danny!"

"You are and he's very excited. He's right in there watching the telly. You can go find him if you want," Rory told Jacob, laughing when Jacob took off toward the living room "Well. I guess Jacob is excited as well."

"Oh yeah, he hasn't stopped talking about it since yesterday when I asked him if he wanted to come over here. He likes Danny. He likes your girls, too, though I don't think he's seen them as much," Ozzy said as he toed his boots off and left them neatly on the mat.

"He'll get to spend lots of time with them tonight," Rory smiled "Come on into the kitchen. Penny and Maddie are in the living room with Danny. They'll be fine in there for awhile. Anna is in the kitchen making dinner. She finished work early today "

Ozzy nodded and followed Rory into the kitchen. Anna looked up from what she was doing when they walked in and Ozzy smiled at her, lifting his hands up to sign hello to her.

"Hi, Ozzy. Welcome to our home. We're happy to have you," She signed back, a huge smile on her face.

"You know sign language?" Rory asked, looking surprised and a bit impressed.

Ozzy took a seat at the breakfast bar and continued to sign while talking to Rory so Anna wouldn't have to keep reading his lips. Ozzy wasn't used to having to look at someone while he speaks all the time so he figured this would be easier.

"Yeah. I had a friend when I was a kid who was deaf so I learned sign language. We lost touch but I still remember it," Ozzy explained.

"That's awesome," Rory exclaimed, opening up the fridge and taking out a beer. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking Ozzy if he wanted one and Ozzy nodded his head because why not? Might as well have one beer as a warm up before they hit the club.

"I told Jacob you can't hear," Ozzy signed to Anna "So he doesn't try to talk your ear off and get pouty when you ignore him." Anna and Rory both laughed "He knows to look at you when he speaks so you can read his lips. Of course now he thinks it's so cool you can read lips and he wants to learn how to do that."

"He's precious," Anna giggled "He's so happy all the time. Always smiling. I love when Finn brings him over."

"Well he loves coming here so thank you for having him," Ozzy said.

"It's no problem at all. Figured I'd help my brother get laid. I mean, how many times has he babysat so Anna and I can go on a date and stay the night in a hotel?" Rory smirked.

Anna gasped and smacked Rory across the arm "Rory! Oh my God! That's rude! You can't just say stuff like that!"

Ozzy bit his lip to keep from laughing then managed to control himself and look serious again when they both looked at him "I have no idea what you're talking about. I thought we were going to watch films and play scrabble."

Rory stared at him, wide eyed, while Anna guffawed and slapped her hand against the counter.

"You...are you serious?" Rory asked, looking like he just heard something scandalous.

"No he's not serious!" Anna roared with laughter again "He's taking the piss out of you. Jesus Christ."

Ozzy couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst out laughing at the look on Rory's face, making Rory pout and making Anna laugh harder.

"Oh I like you," Anna said after she calmed down a bit "I like you a lot."

"Oi!" Rory held his hands up in front of him "Oi, oi, oi. You're my wife and that's my brother's boyfriend. Keep your hands off!"

"I guess that means you know about me and Finn then," Ozzy signed to Anna. He wasn't mad or worried about it. Finn did say Rory didn't keep secrets from his wife. He also said she could be trusted.

"I do," Anna nodded "I hope you don't mind? To be honest, I saw the way you two were looking at each other in the fall when Rory and Finn had that match against each other. When Rory told me, I wasn't surprised at all. It totally pissed him off."

"Yeah because you always know everything before I do! I don't understand how you do that!" Rory says in exasperation.

"I'm a woman. We always know everything." Anna said, flicking her hair over her shoulder and winking at Ozzy before she turns around and gets back to stirring something on the stove.

Ozzy and Rory laugh for a minute then Rory turns serious and nudges Ozzy's shoulder with his own "Hey."

"Hello?" Ozzy turns his head to look at Rory, with a confused smile on his face.

"Thank you for making my brother happy. I've never seen him like this. It's good. I love it," Rory paused for a minute, contemplating his words carefully "Finn...he's just special, ya know? I don't know what other word to use to describe him. He's just- he's one of those people who is beautiful inside and out but he doesn't know it? Like, he's the least arrogant person I know and I think- I think sometimes he undervalues himself and I hate that. He's different with you though. It's like he thinks more of himself- God I don't know! Am I making sense? Probably not."

"You are," Ozzy stared down at the counter top, a soft smile on his face "I get what you're saying. He's a gentle soul. Kind and generous to everybody, always putting other people first."

"Yes!" Rory slapped a hand down on the counter top "That's exactly right. You see him for who he really is and you seem like a good person. I was impressed when he told me why you said it wasn't right to start a relationship with him. I mean, let's be honest here, I'm not blind, I know my brother is a good looking lad. Most people wouldn't have cared about potentially causing friction between Finn and his Pop. They would have simply jumped into bed with him and not given a damn about the consequences. You didn't do that."

" I might only be twenty-two but I've lived a lot of life in that time and sex isn't everything. It's nothing really. It's a pleasurable activity but without love that's all it is. It's definitely something that can be lived without. I really like Finn, as a person, so thinking about what's best for him isn't really a hardship. I may have been _wrong_ about what's best for him but it's the thought that counts right?" Ozzy shrugged, picking up his beer and taking a long drag from it.

"Yeah. I don't know how Pop will react to everything but if for some reason he handles it badly, I really think he'll wake up pretty quickly and remember what a good guy you are," Rory said.

"I hope so," Ozzy smiled, tipping his bottle of beer and tapping it against Rory's.

"Do you and Finn have dinner plans?" Rory asked.

"Yeah. He's at my place now, cooking," Ozzy answered.

"Lucky you. Pop taught us how to cook and Pop learned from grandma so you're in for a treat. He's a good cook," Rory smiled wide.

"I can't wait then. I should probably head back now actually," Ozzy finished the rest of his beer and stood up from his stool.

"Do you need a ride back or...?"

"Nah. I hired a car service. The driver is waiting for me outside," Ozzy said, following Rory toward the living room to say goodbye to his son.

He spent five minutes hugging and kissing Jacob, telling him to be good, then Rory walked him to the door and they shook hands before saying goodbye.

"Have fun and don't worry about Jacob. He'll be fine with us," Rory called to Ozzy as he walked down the drive toward the car.

Ozzy smiled and waved to Rory before getting in the car and fastening his seatbelt. When the car started moving, a huge smile came across Ozzy's face because he was heading home to Finn and he had a feeling they were going to have a night to remember.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!
> 
> I like to call this the 'smut chapter' because somehow it ended up with a lot of smut. Narry smut, Fizzy smut, all sorts of smut. So if that's not your thing you probably shouldn't read it. If you enjoy smut then I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know :)

 

 

"Baby," Finn felt Ozzy slide up behind him and put his hands on his hips while he stood rinsing plates at the sink "Dinner was delicious. Thank you."

Finn looked down at the plate he was rinsing, a small closed mouth smile on his face "You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it."

"You're incredible," Ozzy whispered, kissing the back of his neck and making him shiver "I don't think there's anything you can't do."

"Hmm," Finn hummed, tilting his head to the side a bit so Ozzy could kiss along more of his neck "Can't piss sitting down. Tried when I was drunk one time. It wasn't pretty."

Ozzy stopped kissing his neck and started laughing, muffling the sound by burying his face in the crook of Finn's neck "Funny too. I like that."

Finn laughed to himself and put the dishes he was rinsing on the counter so he could turn around in Ozzy's arms. He wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him into a slow kiss, slipping his tongue out just enough to tease him. When he pulled back, Ozzy's eyes were hooded with desire, the bright green turning dark. Finn had no idea how he was going to wait until later that night to have sex with him.

"You're so hot," Ozzy breathed out, his thumb tracing across Finn's bottom lip "Do you-" Ozzy closed his eyes for a minute and moved in even closer to Finn "Do you have any idea what you do to me? Here, feel this." Ozzy reached down for one of Finn's hands and brought it up, laying it on his chest right over his rapidly beating heart. Finn burst out laughing.

"Oh my God! Oh my fucking God! That- that's not where I was expecting my hand to go when you said 'feel this' Holy shit!" Finn leaned down and pressed his forehead against Ozzy's shoulder, his body shaking from his laughter.

"Well," Ozzy gently squeezed Finn's hand that he pressed to his heart. He was also laughing, giddy laughter that warmed Finn's heart and made his stomach swoop "You're very welcome to feel that, too."

Finn pulled back and grinned at Ozzy, his free hand sliding down to cup Ozzy through his jeans "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Ozzy said breathlessly, nodding his head slowly, his eyes never leaving Finn's. His heart started to beat faster again under Finn's hand and he couldn't help the feeling he got inside, knowing it was him doing that to Ozzy.

He leaned forward and connected their lips again, their mouths slowly moving over each other's while Finn rubbed his hand slowly over Ozzy's cock "You know," Finn pressed kisses across Ozzy's cheek, stopping at his ear "I brought my clothes for the club with me, so I could change here. Maybe...maybe we can make use of that big shower in your bedroom? Maybe have a bit of a warm up? Something to look forward to tonight."

"God," Ozzy huffed out, his warm breath brushing across Finn's skin and giving him goosebumps "I don't know how you go from shy to _this_ so quickly but it fucking turns me on so much."

"I can tell," Finn grinned against Ozzy's cheek as he felt Ozzy's cock getting interested "Wanna have that shower together?"

Ozzy pulled back enough so Finn could look at him and gave him a deadpan look "Do I want to see you naked and up close while water runs down over your sinful body? Is that a serious question?"

"Come on then," Finn gripped Ozzy' hand and pulled him out of the kitchen and toward the stairs, the two of them jogging up more than they were walking, quickly making their way to the master bedroom. Finn's body was thrumming with anticipation and he could feel his cock getting interested from all the dirty thoughts running through his head.

When they got into the bathroom, Ozzy leaned into the shower to turn it on and let the water heat up a bit while Finn got to work lifting his t-shirt over his head and dropping it onto the floor. When he looked up again, Ozzy had turned around and he was staring right at Finn's chest, desire pooling in his eyes. Finn had to remember to breathe, the look in Ozzy's eyes so intense it nearly took his breath away.

"Look at you," Ozzy breathed out, reaching out a hand and brushing his fingers down over Finn's bicep "You're incredible. I could look at you all day."

"Wanna look at you, too," Finn whispered, reaching out and tugging at the hem of Ozzy's shirt. Ozzy got the message and quickly lifted his shirt over his head, letting Finn's eyes wander over his broad chest and large expanse of tattoos. It's not like he hasn't seen Ozzy naked before. They have been able to fool around a bit, mostly long after Jacob has gone to bed. Every time felt like the first time though. Every time he seemed to find a new freckle he hadn't seen before or a tattoo he hadn't noticed yet.

"What do you want, baby? Hmm?" Ozzy asked as he popped the button on his jeans and pushed them down to the floor.

Finn copied him, pushing his jeans down his legs and onto the floor, kicking them away then dropping his boxers right after them. He was fully naked now and the lust in Ozzy's eyes was only getting brighter.

"I'll show you what I want in the shower, yeah?" Finn said, his eyes locked onto Ozzy's. He reaches a hand down and wraps it around his half hard cock, tugging it a few times and relishing the noise Ozzy makes in his throat and the way he licks his lips.

"Fuck," Ozzy cursed "Okay. Yeah. I'll-" He stops talking and quickly removes his own boxers, sighing when he gets a hand around his own cock for a few short tugs. "Come on,"

Finn stepped forward, stepping under the spray with Ozzy coming in right behind him. He closes the glass door then spins around and slips a hand behind Finn's neck, pulling him up against him and kissing him hard.

Finn eagerly kisses back, making tiny, pleased noises in the back of his throat as their wet, naked bodies pressed together. He slowly started grinding his hips so that his cock brushed against Ozzy's, causing Ozzy to moan into the kiss and hold onto Finn tighter.

It felt so good. Everything felt so good. Their tongues pushing against each other in their mouths, their wet lips sliding over each other, their cocks sliding against each other. Little sparks of pleasure were shooting through Finn's body every time Ozzy's hard cock touched his and honestly, in moments like this, Finn doesn't know how he lived without sex until he was seventeen years old.

He broke away from the kiss and dragged his lips down Ozzy's neck, placing open mouthed kisses over his skin. He kept moving down over his collarbone and over his pecs, stopping to lick over a nipple and suck it into his mouth. The gasping noise Ozzy made only egged Finn on and he reached down for his cock, wrapping a hand around it while continuing to suck and tease Ozzy's nipple.

"Finn," Ozzy breathed out "Oh my God!"

Finn dropped to his knees, grinning at Ozzy's reaction. When he looked up at him, his head was tilted back and he was biting at his lip ring, stoking the fire in Finn's stomach. He took his own cock in his hand and stroked a few times, moaning at how good it felt. He couldn't linger for long though, he wanted to make Ozzy feel good. Just the thought of it made his dick throb.

Letting go of his cock, he put both palms flat on Ozzy's stomach, moving them out over Ozzy's ribs while he kissed and nipped his way down over his toned stomach and passed his happy trail. He paused for a minute, long enough to look up at Ozzy from under his eyelashes. He licked his lips and blinked the water out of his eyes then he took Ozzy's cock in his hand, licking over the head obscenely.

"Ah! Yeah. Fuck," Ozzy managed to spit out, holding himself up with one hand pressed against the shower wall, the other in Finn's hair.

Finn gripped Ozzy's hip with one hand while his other hand wrapped around the base of Ozzy's cock. He sucked on the head a bit, licking over it and pursing his lips around it. When he takes him down further and starts to bob his head, getting a rhythm going, he takes his hand off the base and slides both hands down over Ozzy's toned thighs. He digs his fingers into Ozzy's muscles, kneading them while he continues to suck his dick down.

"That's so good, baby. So good," Ozzy said, sounding dazed. His fingers were still in Finn's hair and he lovingly massaged his scalp and kept his hair from getting stuck in his face.

Finn pulled off to take some breaths, using his right hand to jerk Ozzy's cock while he kissed over his hip and down between his thighs. When he was good to go again, he swallowed Ozzy back down, this time moving his hands around to grab Ozzy's arse, squeezing it and pushing Ozzy closer until Finn's nose was practically touching the coarse hair at the base of Ozzy's cock. He relaxed his throat and swallowed a few times knowing how that would feel to Ozzy.

Ozzy didn't disappoint either. He moaned loudly and his grip on Finn's hair got tighter "Jesus, Finn. Fuck!"

Finn moved his head back up, starting to bob his head again, only faster this time. He looked up at Ozzy from underneath his eyelashes and moved his hands over his perfect arse, his index finger slipping between his cheeks and finding his rim. He brushed over it gently and nearly blew his own load when he saw Ozzy throw his head back exposing his slender neck.

"Finn," Ozzy called his name breathlessly, his hips starting to jerk a bit "Almost there baby. God!"

Finn pulled back to catch his breath again, licking his lips as he looked up at Ozzy "What do you need, love? Need more? Want to fuck my mouth?"

Ozzy couldn't answer, just bit down on his lip and nodded quickly, a whimper sounding in his throat. Finn smiled, absolutely loving the effect he had on Ozzy right now. He squeezed his arse again and swallowed his dick down, waiting for Ozzy to start moving his hips.

"Ah!" Ozzy half shouted as his hips started to move, driving his cock down Finn's throat. Finn held steady, keeping his throat relaxed, and pulling Ozzy's cheeks apart with his fingers. He rubbed around his rim again then slipped his finger in slightly.

"Fuck!" Ozzy shouted, his hips jerking sloppily as he comes down Finn's throat. Finn swallows everything before pulling off and quickly standing up to kiss Ozzy hard. It doesn't work out the best since they're both breathing heavily but to Finn it was absolutely perfect.

"God," Ozzy panted, pushing his wet hair off his forehead with his hand "That was so good. I think you sucked my brain out through my dick."

Finn wrapped his arms around Ozzy's neck and nudged his nose gently along his jaw while he kisses his neck. They were standing under the spray, the water falling down over their bodies and staying on Ozzy's shoulders like little beads. Finn couldn't help but kiss along his shoulder, licking out his tongue to catch the beads of water.

"Come on, baby," Ozzy's hand slid down over Finn's back and onto his arse making Finn suck in a breath "Let me make you feel good."

"Want it like this," Finn said, his voice almost sounding frantic. He was so hard, so turned on, he felt like he was going to explode.

"Like what, baby?" Ozzy's lips grazed his ear, his teeth tugging gently at the lobe.

"Your hands on my arse, pushing me up against you," Finn's voice was sounding strained now from his desperate need to come.

Ozzy seemed to understand because immediately both his hands gripped Finn's arse and his leg was slotting in between Finn's legs so that Finn's cock was hitting Ozzy's thigh.

"That good?" Ozzy asked, his lips pressed up against Finn's ear "This what you wanted?"

Finn whimpered out a yes, pleasure coursing through his body turning his legs to jelly. It didn't matter though. He had his arms around Ozzy's neck and Ozzy was holding him up in his strong arms.

"You sound so good, baby. Make the best noises for me," Ozzy murmured in his ear as he continued to grip his arse and push him against his leg.

Finn moaned and sank his teeth into Ozzy's shoulder as his hips stuttered and his cock twitched against Ozzy's leg. He came hard, his moan muffled against Ozzy's shoulder. He kept his hips moving until he was done, then he practically collapsed into Ozzy, panting hard.

Ozzy held him up for a bit, cupping the back of his head with one hand and running his other hand up and down his back. His lips were busy too, placing little kisses on Finn's temple and down over his cheek and jaw before reaching his lips and kissing him softly.

When Finn finally gathered himself and stood up straight, he smiled at Ozzy, a slight blush on his cheeks "That was..."

"Yeah," Ozzy huffed out a laugh "If that's the warm up I'm not going to survive tonight."

Finn threw his head back and laughed, nearly taking in a mouth full of water and choking, sending Ozzy into a fit of giggles.

"Come on," Ozzy turned Finn around when his laughter tapered off "I'll wash your hair for you. You can do mine, then we can get out of here and get dressed. Don't want to be late to meet your friends."

Finn couldn't stop grinning the whole rest of the shower.

 

~~~

  
Niall was tired. It was a long week at work, one of those weeks where everything seems to go wrong and he had to stay late some nights to get everything back on track. He didn't get to see his kids much and he was often already half asleep in their bed when Harry would get into bed at night so he didn't really even get to have any conversations with his husband, let alone any sex.

It was Friday now, though, and even though he still worked late it was only seven o'clock so he still had a few hours to see his family, then the whole weekend after that.

"Harry?" Niall called out as soon as he closed the front door behind him "I'm home darlin'"

"In the kitchen!" His husband called back and Niall immediately smiled at the sound of his voice.

He left his briefcase in the foyer and made his way toward the kitchen, fighting with the knot in his tie the whole way. He was still looking down at it when he walked into the kitchen, not even realizing what Harry had done.

"Hey darlin'. I hope you didn't wait for me to have dinner? I don't like holding you and the kids up. I can always heat something up or make a-" Niall finally looked up from trying to get the knot out of his tie, his mouth hanging open in shock "What...?"

The lights were turned down and there were candles lit on the counter and on the table. A fancy tablecloth had been put down, along with fancy silverware and the expensive wine glasses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had given them as a wedding gift. There was soft music playing on the ihome and a large bouquet of flowers sitting proudly on the breakfast bar.

When he turned his eyes back on his husband, his heart skipped a beat in his chest. He looked incredibly handsome with his hair pushed back in a quiff reminiscent of the way he wore it when he was twenty years old before he grew his hair out long. He was wearing a black, silk shirt with a flower pattern, the top three buttons undone and a pair of black slacks that fit his arse and thighs like a glove. Hanging around his neck were the stainless steel dog tags Niall had gotten him for their tenth wedding anniversary with the infinity symbol engraved on them along with their initials and wedding date. He was gorgeous and for probably the one billionth time Niall wondered what he did to deserve him.

"Welcome home, baby," Harry said softly as he walked up to Niall and moved Niall's hands away from his tie so he could deal with the knot himself.

"Hi," Niall breathed out, his eyes locked on Harry's plump, red lips "What's- what's all this? Where are the kids?"

Harry made quick work of the knot, removing Niall's tie and laying it across the back of one of the chairs. He undid a couple of buttons on Niall's shirt then lifted his eyes to Niall's, leaning in to slot their lips together in a soft, sweet kiss.

"Well," Harry pecked his lips again before stepping back a bit and sliding his hands down Niall's arms until their fingers were linked on both hands "Finn said he's going out with his friends tonight and going to crash at one of their houses, Nori is staying at her best friends house, Kate is with Gemma, picking her brain about fashion and the twins are staying with their Uncle Louis tonight. They were quite excited, especially since they've learned their Aunt Jenn has been a huge movie star for the past thirty years."

Niall chuckled fondly at the twins. They were probably going to want to watch all her films even though most of them aren't appropriate for six year olds "So...we're alone then?"

"We are," Harry nodded slowly "The whole house to ourselves until tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh," Niall said, his eyes slowly raking over Harry's body "Suddenly I am no longer exhausted. In fact, I think I can stay up all night."

Harry grinned and leaned in again, kissing him slowly and with just a little bit of tongue, all while keeping their hands linked together down by their thighs.

After a couple of minutes of kissing, Niall steps back and releases Harry's hands so he can reach up and cup Harry's cheek "You look gorgeous, darlin'. God!"

Harry smiled down at him with that sweet, dimpled, closed mouth smile that makes him look so young and innocent even though Niall knew he was anything but innocent. Sweet? Absolutely. Innocent? No fucking way. "I wanted to look nice for you."

"You do," Niall breathes out, his hand running down Harry's arm and feeling his bicep underneath the silk shirt "This shirt, those slacks. You look incredible in all black. I just wish I was dressed up for you."

"Are you kidding?" Harry huffs out a laugh "You _know_ how hot it makes me when you're dressed for work in a suit and tie. I always love it when you come home and take your tie off and unbutton your shirt. You always just undo the top two buttons so I only get a teasing glimpse of your chest hair. Sometimes when you get caught up playing with the kids right away and don't get to change your clothes before dinner, I sit at the table trying to eat and all I can think about is ripping your shirt the rest of the way open so I can get my hands on you. I mean, if you want to go upstairs and change you can but I think you look perfect the way you are. You're even wearing your glasses today. What more could I ask for?"

"Jesus," Niall subconsciously lifted a finger to push said glasses up off his nose "If you didn't have the table set so nicely I'd tell you to rip my shirt off right here and throw me on the table."

Harry threw his head back, laughing loudly at Niall's comment "Oh baby, I whole heartedly plan on ripping your shirt off later. I might even throw you on the table if you want but for what I have planned tonight, I think our bed will be more comfortable."

"Oh I'm not picky. You can throw me wherever you like," Niall smirked, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck and lifting himself up so that both his feet were on top of both of Harry's feet. Harry smiled down at him and wrapped him up in his arms, lifting him effortlessly so that Niall had to wrap his legs around Harry's waist.

"I'll grab the wine, you grab the glasses- _but_ _be_ _careful_ because God only knows how much Kate paid for those- and we can go into the living room," Harry says into his ear before kissing his cheek softly.

So Harry manoeuvres them so that he can get the wine bottle in one of his hands and so that Niall can safely get the glasses, then he carries him into the living room where there are also lit candles, and sets him down on his feet right in front of the couch. He watched as Harry poured two glasses of red wine then when he sat down on the couch, Niall sat himself right down on his lap bridal style.

"To us!" Harry lifts his glass and gently taps it against Niall's. "To us!" Niall softly replies then they both take a drink of wine.

"This is really nice," Niall sighs, his fingers idly scratching at the hair at the base of Harry's neck "Is there a special occasion I forgot about?"

"No," Harry slowly slid a hand up and down Niall's back in a soothing manner "I just wanted to do something nice for you- for us- after seeing how hard you worked this week and how exhausted you looked. You were so cute all week, trying to keep your eyes open so we could have some time together before bed. You don't have to do that you know? Life gets crazy sometimes but we never let it get too crazy before we make time for each other."

"Is that why you shipped our kids all over the city?" Niall said, a playful smile on his face.

"Yes." Harry says seriously "Yes it is." He pauses for a minute then giggles a little before taking a quick sip of wine "Actually, Nori and Kate already had their plans, Finn is usually out more often than not these days, probably with his mysterious boyfriend, so I only had to find somewhere for the twins to go and you know Louis adores them so that wasn't difficult."

"True enough," Niall nodded "I need to call them real quick at some point, though. I miss my babies. I didn't get to spend much time with them this week."

"Of course. You've got your phone in your pocket right? Let's call them now. Dinner won't be ready for twenty minutes. We have time." Harry said.

"Yeah okay," Niall grinned, leaning over to put his wine glass on the coffee table. He dug his phone out of the pocket of his trousers and went into FaceTime to call Louis. He was still sitting on Harry's lap with one arm draped around Harry's shoulders and the other hand holding the phone out in front of them so they were both on the screen.

"Well hello!!" Louis' face appeared on the screen after a minute, a smirk on his face "Still fully clothed are we? That won't last long."

"Hello to you, too, Louis," Niall says "Are you disappointed? I still maintain, after all these years, that you want to watch us having sex."

"I do!!!" Jennifer appears on the screen, a huge smile on her face "I can be there in twenty minutes!!"

"Jesus Christ, woman! How many times do I have to tell you you're not watching my best mates fucking?" Louis says incredulously.

"You can tell me as many times as you want. Doesn't mean I don't fantasize about it," Jenn said, winking into the camera.

Niall and Harry both burst out laughing at the scandalized look on Louis' face. It never gets old no matter how many years they've been doing this. Jenn loved to rile Louis up and Niall and Harry had no problem helping her.

"Alright! Before you two start bickering, we called to speak to our boys. Where are they?" Niall asks, a smile appearing on his face at the thought of his babies.

"Hold on," Louis says grumpily. The screen starts shaking like Louis is walking somewhere then it comes into focus again when Louis turns the phone toward the twins who are apparently dancing with their cousins like lunatics. "Oi! Michael Jackson! Your Dad is on the phone!"

All the kids stop moving and turn to Louis with confused looks before Charlie says "Who's Michael Jackson?"

"Oh for God's sake!" Louis says, turning the phone back around to face him so he can give Harry and Louis an exasperated look "Our children don't know the king of pop. We've failed them."

Niall rolled his eyes but chuckled fondly "Just give them the phone."

"Fine. Charlie, Matty, your parents want to talk to you," Louis says, then a moment later Charlie and Matty appear on the screen with huge smiles on their faces.

"Hi Daddy! Hi Papa!" They both say at the same time.

"My little munchkins!" Niall cooed "I miss you. I'm sorry I didn't see you before you went to Uncle Louis'."

"It's okay, Daddy!" Charlie says sweetly "Papa said you were going to have date night because you were very busy at work this week."

"Yeah! Papa's gonna take you on a date 'cause that's what married people do," Matty says matter of factly.

Niall hears Louis snort in the background but ignores him in favour of smiling fondly at his baby boys. They were so cute, so lovable. He wanted to crawl right through the screen and hug them both, never letting go.

"Yes Papa is taking me on a date," Niall grinned "How about tomorrow afternoon when we pick you up, we go play some footie together? We'll see if Finny can make it as well. How's that?"

"Yeah!!" Charlie and Matty yelled happily, making Niall and Harry laugh.

"Alright. You boys be good for Uncle Louis and Aunt Jenn okay? We both love you so much. We'll see you tomorrow," Niall says, blowing a kiss to his boys.

"I love you, Daddy and Papa!" Charlie blew a kiss back.

"Yeah! Me too!" Matty said, blowing a kiss of his own.

They said goodnight to the boys, then a quick goodnight to Louis, then Niall hung up the phone and laid it on the table. When he sat upright again with his wine glass back in his hand, he came face to face with his husband grinning dopily at him.

"What?" Niall asked, a tentative smile on his face.

Harry shrugged "I just love how much you love our boys. I remember when you were afraid to foster them because you thought I'd be heart broken when a family was found for them and we had to give them up. Then you were the one storming into our bedroom in the middle of the night telling me we were keeping them whether I liked it or not."

"Oh shut up!" Niall said grumpily, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips because he knew Harry was right "You would have done the same thing if I hadn't done it first! They're so precious."

"They are. I feel sorry for the young girl who gave them up. She couldn't care for them so it was the right move but I feel sorry she doesn't know what she's missing and so fucking blessed that we were the ones that got them," Harry says, resting his forehead against Niall's temple "I love you all so much, ya know. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you and our family."

"I know," Niall smiled softly "I think my favourite moment was when that pap kept following us and scared Kate. Remember? When she was four. You, who very rarely gets angry enough to yell and who abhors violence, turned on that guy, shoved him against a parked car and kindly told him if he took one more step toward us you'd shove his camera down his throat and rip it out his arse."

"Oh my God!" Harry barked out a laugh "Thank God nobody caught that on video. My publicist would have taken me to Siberia and left me there."

"That was pretty fucking hot,"

"I figured you liked that when you fucked me against the bedroom wall that night. Then again in the shower and again in our bed," Harry said, a cheeky grin on his face.

"That was a good night. Maybe we'll relive it tonight," Niall suggested.

"Oh definitely. We haven't had time to do anything in over a week. I am getting fucked hard tonight whether you do it or I have to do it myself."

"Fuck," Niall whispered, his nose pressed into Harry's cheek "Now I want to see you fuck yourself. Why do you do this to me? Why?"

Harry burst out laughing just as the timer went off in the kitchen indicating dinner was ready "I actually wasn't trying to do anything that time. I only realized what I was saying after it already left my mouth."

"Of course!" Niall rolled his eyes and stood up off of Harry's lap. He grabbed the bottle of wine and his glass and made his way into the kitchen with Harry right behind him "What did you make for dinner? It smells amazing, H."

"It's a roast leg of lamb with roasted potatoes and steamed veggies," Harry answered while moving effortlessly around the kitchen taking the lamb out of the oven and bringing it over to the table to carve it.

"Seriously? Oh my God Harry!" Niall practically shouted "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, baby," Harry chuckled and kissed him on the cheek "I know you love lamb but I never make it because Nori and Kate don't like it. You only get to have it when we eat at a restaurant that serves lamb so..."

"Christ. You're the best husband ever," Niall grabbed Harry before he turned back to the stove, taking his face in between both his hands and kissing him hard "I love you!"

"I love you too!" Harry laughed, kissing him quickly again before stepping away "Can you carve the lamb while I get the veggies?"

"Of course I can carve the lamb. Then I'm going to stuff my face with it," Niall said. He's sure his eyes are probably lit up and he probably looks a bit crazy but he hasn't had lamb in a really long time and he knew it would be good because Harry is such a good cook.

When they both had their plates full of food and he had topped up his and Harry's wine, he sat down and held his glass up in a toast "To you, darlin'. Next month will be twenty-five years since we started dating and it's been the best twenty-five years of my life thanks to you. I love you."

Harry smiled at him with watery eyes and tapped his glass against Niall's before taking a sip "I can definitely toast to that. Twenty-six years since we met and twenty-five since we started dating. That's more than half my life. It feels like yesterday though. I can't believe how fast time passes."

"Yeah. You'll be fifty next year. You can keep me company so that I'm not the only one in his fifties," Niall laughed then popped a potato into his mouth, somehow managing to chew it even though he was grinning.

"I'll gladly join you. I don't complain about getting older like you do. In fact, maybe I'll throw a huge party to celebrate half a century of being alive," Harry says thoughtfully. Niall could tell he was already planning the party in his head even though he doesn't turn fifty for eleven more months.

"I only complain when our kids are being mischievous. Then I'm too old to deal with whatever hell they're causing," Niall says, moaning when he takes another bite of lamb. It was juicy and tender and fucking perfect.

"You like to pretend you're too old. Secretly you love some of the stuff they come up with. I see the gleeful look in your eye sometimes. Also," Harry stopped to chew some vegetables "You're in amazing shape. Nice tight little body from all these years running after our kids and playing sports with them. You are far from old."

"Nice, tight little body?" Niall quirks an eyebrow.

"Oh yes and in case you haven't noticed, I quite like your body. Think I show you that everyday." Harry smirked.

"Are you trying to get me all hot and bothered? Because I'm not moving until I finish my lamb. You can't make me." Niall glared at his husband and inched his plate over a bit, further away from Harry.

"You're ridiculous!" Harry giggled "I wouldn't have spent hours cooking if we were just going to abandon our food. We've got all night."

Niall's expression softened and he inched closer to Harry again , reaching out to cover one of his hands with his own "You did an amazing job, darlin'. Thank you."

Harry grinned and leaned in to kiss the corner of Niall's mouth then they both got back to their dinner, talking quietly about their kids, about what Niall missed the past week when he was working so much, about cute or funny things one of their kids said that had made Harry laugh until he cried.

They finished half an hour later, cleaning the kitchen up together and putting the leftovers away, then Niall opened another bottle of wine and they went back into the living room, curling up around each other and turning on a film. It was perfect.

Halfway through the film, when they were half way through their second bottle of wine, Niall lifted his head from Harry's chest and tilted his head up to press his lips against his pulse point. He let his lips linger there, barely touching the skin, then he smiles slightly and kisses him again, this time letting his tongue lick out a little, making Harry's skin shiny and a little wet.

He slowly continued to kiss up along Harry's neck, sucking slightly on his defined jaw line then moving up to breathe warm against his ear. He could feel Harry's hands tighten around his waist, could hear his breathing hitch just a little with every kiss or lick from his tongue. When he gently started sucking on the skin right below Harry's ear, Harry moaned and Niall knew he was getting worked up.

He pulled away from Harry, taking the wine glass out of his hand and placing it on the table along with his own. Spilling red wine all over the place wasn't a good idea and with what Niall was about to do, it definitely would get spilled.

Instead of sinking back onto the couch next to Harry, he turned around to face him and straddled his lap, his hands coming up to cup Harry's cheeks so he could pull him into a kiss. It started out as just open mouthed kissing, wet lips sliding together and hot breaths mingling together. Then Niall slipped his tongue into Harry's mouth, curling it around Harry's tongue and pulling it back teasingly. Every time he did this, Harry would chase after it with his own tongue, making Niall grin into the kiss.

"Gonna be a tease tonight, are ya?" Harry whispered against his lips, his hands pulling Niall's shirt out of his trousers so he could slip his hands up the back of it "I can tease, too, ya know."

Niall bit down on Harry's bottom lip and rolled his hips down over his crotch making the both of them moan quietly "No. I don't think we need to tease, do we? We have all night alone together. Instead of dragging it out, we should see how many times we can make each other come before we pick the kids up tomorrow afternoon."

"God, I like that idea," Harry mumbled against Niall's lips before licking into his mouth again and kissing him passionately. His hands stayed under Niall's shirt but he moved them around to the front, tracing his fingers up over Niall's toned stomach and burying them in his chest hair. Niall moaned into the kiss and rolled his hips again, feeling himself getting hard in his boxers.

Harry broke the kiss and moved down over Niall's jaw and over his neck with his lips, his fingers quickly undoing the rest of the buttons on Niall's shirt. When he finishes, he pushes the shirt open wide and kisses down over Niall's sternum, over his pecs, burying his face in the soft chest hair he loved so much.

Niall held on with his arms around Harry's neck and his fingers buried deep in Harry's thick head of hair. He kept rocking his hips down against Harry's crotch, whimpering when Harry flicked his thumbs over his nipples and thrust his hips up to meet Niall's.

"We need to get some of these clothes off," Niall said, needing to get his hands on his husband, get him prepped so he could finally get inside him. A week is far too long not to be inside Harry. Far too long. "I mean, you look so fucking good in those clothes but...I need them off."

"You gotta get off me then," Harry chuckled "Come on."

Niall slid backwards off Harry's lap, pulling Harry up onto his feet with him and smashing their lips together again while his fingers made quick work of the buttons on Harry's shirt. He slipped it off his shoulders and tossed it over onto the chair then started on Harry's belt, all while never once letting his tongue leave Harry's mouth.

Harry was working just as fast. Niall's shirt was already on the floor and his belt and zipper undone. He was just pushing Niall's trousers down onto the floor when Niall got his belt off and in the next thirty seconds they were both completely naked and Harry was pushing Niall down onto the couch.

"I put some lube and condoms here on the table. I figured we might need them in here tonight," Harry said as he reached over the arm of the couch to get the lube and a condom from the end table. Once he had them he told Niall to lay down on his back on the couch, then he climbed on top of him, straddling him and pumping a hand over his dick.

"Come here," Niall murmured, his hands coming up to rest on Harry's hips. He helped him shimmy up a bit more then propped his head up on a pillow and took Harry into his mouth.

Harry sighed and Niall looked up at him from under his eyelashes, not wanting to miss a moment of Harry's reactions as he sucked his cock, taking him down deeper and deeper. He bobbed his head up and down, worked the rest of his cock with his hand, curled his tongue around the head and flicked it against the slit. He did everything he knew Harry loved and he did it well, his reward being the look of pleasure on his husband's face and the sounds he made in the back of his throat.

When he pulled off to take in some breaths, he opened the lube and coated his fingers, sliding his hand between Harry's legs and circling his hole. He made eye contact as the first finger slipped in and his own cock throbbed when he saw his husband bite his lip and push down onto his finger. He closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself, then when he opened them again he looked into Harry's eyes and took his cock into his mouth again, hollowing his cheeks and bobbing up and down while he fingered him open.

"Ah! God, Niall. You're so good. How are you so fucking good at this? Fuck!" Harry cursed and threw his head back as he rode Niall's finger harder. Niall decided to help him out by slipping in a second finger.

"I've sucked a lot of cock, darlin'. Practice makes perfect," Niall said in a playful voice before going back down on Harry again.

"Hey," Harry pouted "I don't what to think about you sucking a lot of cock,"

"Was talkin' about your cock, H. Been sucking it for twenty-five years almost. I know every inch of it and I know exactly what you like and when you like it. I love how heavy it feels on my tongue, I love how smooth it is and I fucking love the way you taste. All that came with practice," Niall grinned up at Harry while working his cock with his hand and fingering his hole with two fingers.

"Jesus. When you talk about it like that you make it sound like candy," Harry said breathlessly "Baby- I need another finger. _Please_."

"It might as well be candy to me," Niall said while adding a third finger.

" _God_!" Harry cried out "That's- fuck that's good." He began to ride Niall's fingers hard "So, so, good."

Niall watched attentively as his husband practically bounced on his fingers. He licked his lips and thrust his hips up, trying to relieve some of the pressure on his own cock. When he slipped between the cheeks of Harry's arse, he moaned loudly, the sound being ripped from the back of his throat.

"Niall. Niall. I'm ready. I'm ready, baby," Harry panted out. He felt around on the couch to find the condom he laid there somewhere, making an excited noise when he found it. He ripped it open, then slid it down Niall's cock and spread some lube over it. When he was done, his eyes were shining bright and full of lust. Niall couldn't wait to get inside him.

Harry lifted himself back a bit so that he was over Niall's cock, then he sunk down, rocking his hips back and forth until he was fully seated. Niall ran his hands up and down over Harry's toned thighs while he waited for Harry to adjust, then when Harry gave a tiny nod, Niall began to move his hips slowly, getting a rhythm going until he found the right angle to hit Harry's prostate.

"Yeah," Harry's voice came out higher than normal and Niall knew he had hit the right spot. He gripped Harry's hips for leverage and started thrusting his hips up harder, keeping the angle on Harry's prostate, making him whine and bite his lip.

He looked gorgeous, is the thing. Like an angel. A deliciously filthy, angel and Niall was captivated as he stared up at him while thrusting inside him. That's probably why he slowed down a little, distracted by how incredibly sexy his husband is, and why Harry seemed to take control, planting the palms of his hands on Niall's chest and completely letting go, snapping his hips, fast, then changing to grinding in a figure eight. It all felt amazing on Niall's dick and he could feel the sweat breaking out on his chest and forehead as his orgasm grew nearer and his husbands noises got louder.

"Niall," Harry panted as he leaned down and grabbed Niall's cheeks to pull him into a hot kiss "Touch me. Please, touch me."

Niall reached for Harry's cock and started to jerk him off, no time or patience for teasing now. Later. Round two or three or both, but not right now.

When Harry's hips stuttered once, twice, then three times, Niall knew he was about to come and surged up to kiss him, loving the way his husband sounded when his moan was caught by Niall's lips.

"Niall..." Harry breathed his name into his mouth as Niall's hips stilled and he came into the condom. "God, Niall."

"Yeah," Niall whispered against Harry's lips as he cradled his head in his hands and kissed him slowly. They kissed until their breathing returned to normal, then they pulled apart and smiled softly at each other. No words needed to be said. Their smiles said it all.

 

~~~

  
Once they finally finished in the shower and dried off, they took turns drying their hair with the blow dryer then Finn went out into the bedroom to get dressed while Ozzy stayed in the bathroom to style his hair a bit and put on some cologne.

When he came out of the bathroom, Finn had already left to go downstairs so he quickly finished getting dressed then grabbed his keys and wallet to shove in his pocket. He jogged down the stairs to get his jacket and boots, stopping dead in his tracks when he sees Finn standing in the living room texting on his phone.

His boyfriend was hot as fuck and he had no idea how he was going to get through the night without accosting him in the club. It's not like he was dressed up for the Oscars or anything. He was wearing a pair of black jeans that sinfully clung to his muscular thighs, a dark red V-neck jumper with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a brown pair of Chelsea boots. Ozzy wanted to devour him.

"Hey. Sorry. Didn't see you standing there. Alexa hired a car and is meeting us here with Asa and Kellan. Nobody is going to think anything if we all show up at the club together. The lads from the team are meeting us there along with a couple of Al's friends from Uni." Finn explained.

"That's- yeah. Good. Yeah." Ozzy stuttered out, somehow unable to talk when faced with his gorgeous boyfriend dressed to go out.

"Are you alright?" Finn asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah," Ozzy shook his head and walked over to wrap his arms around his boyfriends neck "I was just admiring you. You look amazing, baby."

"Oh," Finn's hands came up to rest on Ozzy's hips and he gave him a shy smile "Thank you. You look really good, too. I love how your hair goes all feathery like that."

Ozzy chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to Finn's lips. He wasn't an arrogant man by any means but he was confidant enough with himself that he knew he looked good. He was wearing black skinny jeans like Finn only his were ripped at the knees, his t-shirt was white with the Joker's face on it in the middle and he knew it fit him perfectly. He spent time in the gym keeping himself in shape, he might as well show off his hard work. His hair was styled off to the side and 'feathery' as Finn liked to call it and he put a bit of black eyeliner around his eyes. He remembers the make-up artist on "The Voice" saying she loved that he did that because it made the green of his eyes pop even more and it looked great for the camera.

"Thank you, baby. I don't think a lot of people expect me to wear my hair this way. They see the punk look and assume it's going to be up in spikes or something. I'm actually not overly fond of the spikey look," Ozzy explained after a moment.

"Fine by me. If you had spikes I couldn't run my hands through your hair, which I very much like to do, by the way," Finn smirked at him.

"Well I very much like when you do it," Ozzy smirked back.

"Hey," Finn turned serious all of a sudden "Before my friends get here...I know what we said about telling people about us but...I don't know, I really want to tell Kellan and Asa and, well, Alexa officially. We've been friends for almost fifteen years. I trust them with my life."

Ozzy removed his hands from around Finn's neck and cupped his face instead "Finn, you can tell whoever you want, baby. Like I said before, I'm already out so I don't mind at all. I know we said we just want to enjoy each other for awhile first but as long as the paps don't find out I think we still can can't we? As long as we only tell people we trust we won't get hounded and followed around everywhere just yet."

"Okay. We'll tell them when they get here," Finn grinned happily.

"How about your friends from the team? Should we still be careful around them?"

Finn sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, looking a bit unsure "I think so? I just feel like I should tell the whole team together. Normally I wouldn't tell them at all. I'd just go about living my life and if they saw us in the papers and had a problem with it then so be it. I don't think it's fair to let them be blindsided when they're going to have to deal with the media trying to use them to get information about me. About us."

"Alright," Ozzy smiled reassuringly at Finn, then Finn's phone dinged and they stepped apart so he could look at the text.

"It's Alexa. They just pulled up. I'm going to tell them to come in, yeah? We still have time."

"Sounds good. I don't keep liquor here, just beer but maybe everyone will want one before we leave?" Ozzy suggested.

"I'll definitely have one," Finn said "I'm going to let them in."

Ozzy nodded and headed into the kitchen to grab some beers so everyone who wants one can have one, then he heads back to the living room just in time to see Finn leading three people in.

"Guys, this is Ozzy," Finn said with a smile "Ozzy this is Kellan, this is Asa, and you know who Alexa is."

"Hiya Ozzy!" Alexa stepped forward to shake his hand "I like you much better when you're not yelling."

"Sorry about that!" Ozzy laughed "Nice to meet you properly."

Kellan steps forward next, a kind smile on his face and his hand stuck out to shake "I'm Kellan. I like your music. Saw you in concert last year actually. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh? You've been to a show? Finn didn't mention that," Ozzy looked over at Finn with a playful smile.  
  
"I forgot you went! That was over a year ago!" Finn said, shrugging his shoulders.

Kellan rolled his eyes fondly at Finn and turned back to Ozzy "I was at one of your shows in Los Angeles. My Mum is American and we were there visiting my grandparents. My cousin had tickets and I like your music so I was all for it. It was a good show. High energy the whole time."

"Well I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for that," Ozzy fist bumped him then turned to Finn's other friend.

"I'm Asa. I haven't been to one of your shows," He joked, shaking Ozzy's hand.

"No worries. I won't hold it against you," Ozzy joked back, finding it easy to do with Finn's friends. Five minutes in their presence and he can already tell they're good people. His boyfriend deserved nothing less.

"So. Now that everyone has met, anyone want a beer before we go?" Finn asked, picking up a couple of beers from the table and offering them to his friends. Everyone said yes and grabbed a bottle then they all settled in, chatting easily for the next few minutes until Finn dropped the bomb.

"Hey. So...I want to tell you guys something and I'd really appreciate it if it didn't leave this room."

Ozzy looked around at Finn's friends, seeing their expressions immediately turn serious and concerned. That only confirmed to Ozzy that these people were good friends to Finn.

"Everything okay?" Alexa asked with a frown on her face.

"More than okay," Finn grinned at his friends "I just wanted you to know Ozzy as my boyfriend and not just my friend. He's important to me and so are you three so..."

Alexa was quick to react, jumping up and screaming that she knew it all along, then laughing with Finn as she hugged him and nearly knocked him off the couch.

The other two...they were hard to read. They were sitting on the opposite couch with their mouths hanging open and looking like they were in complete shock. Ozzy couldn't blame them really. It's not like they were eased into this or anything. It was kind of just dropped on them out of nowhere.

It takes a full five minutes and a bit of awkward tension before Asa shakes his head like he's trying to snap himself out of it and stands up to walk over to Finn. He puts a hand on his shoulder and says "Mate. I think you should have had a talk with Harry and Niall about coming out because it would appear you skipped that part and went right to the 'oh this is my boyfriend' part."

Finn looked up sheepishly at his friend while Kellan bursts out into hysterical laughter. He to, gets up and walks over to Finn, throwing himself on top of him and sending the three of them onto the floor in a big pile of limbs. Alexa lets out a snort of laughter and simply grins like an idiot at Ozzy so Ozzy relaxes a bit thinking everything must be fine if they were all laughing.

"Mate!" Asa manages to extract himself from the pile and crawls over to where Ozzy is still sitting on the couch. He pushes himself up off the floor and sits next to Ozzy, clapping him on the back "This changes everything! Now that we know you're his boyfriend we're going to have to tease you both endlessly. Just sayin'"

Ozzy grinned at Asa, immediately knowing he wouldn't have any trouble getting along with him "I think I can handle it. I get Finn at the end of the day don't I?"

"Oh God," Kellan groans from the floor "They're saps! They're that sappy couple that drives everybody nuts! Just look at Finn's face."

Ozzy was already looking at his boyfriend who was blushing slightly and beaming at him. He was gorgeous.

"I think they're so cute!" Alexa cooed "So you will shut up, thank you very much "

Ozzy huffed out a laugh and looked over at Alexa "Somehow I get the feeling you're the boss of these three, Alexa."

"That's because I _am_ the boss of them, Ozzy. Very astute observation. I like you. Finn can keep you," Alexa nodded her head seriously.

"Thank you for your permission, Al. Not like I can make my own decisions or anything," Finn said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Alexa simply beams at him while flipping him off, then Finn and Kellan get up off the floor and everyone gets back in their seats with their beers.

"So. This is a shock since you failed to actually come out first," Asa joked "How long have you been dating?"

"Oh it's just been a month. It's still pretty new," Finn explained.

"You've known each other longer than that though right? I remember you saying you hung out back in the fall sometime when he came to work with Harry," Kellan said.

"Yeah we've known each other for about four months or so," Finn said.

"Cool," Kellan nodded his head and smiled at Ozzy "Well I'm looking forward to hanging out and getting to know you more. Now that I think about it, Finn has been happier than normal the past few weeks. Must be because of you."

Ozzy slid his arm across Finn's shoulders and pulled him in close, kissing his cheek and smiling softly at him "Maybe. I hope so anyway."

Finn turned his head so he could look into Ozzy's eyes "Yeah. It's because of you."

"Okay then. Let's go now before they start snogging on the couch right in front of us," Asa stood up, quickly finishing off his beer while everyone else chuckles.

"Hey. Nobody knows, okay? Not even my parents so-"

"Don't worry, Finn. Nobody will find out from us. We've got your back," Kellan said, slapping Finn on the back.

"Thank you," Finn smiled gratefully at his friends then turned to Ozzy "Ready to go?"

"Absolutely!" Ozzy grinned.

Two minutes later, after putting their jackets on, they all headed out to the car to head to the club.

 

~~~

 

Ozzy is at the bar, getting the next round for their group of people, when he spots his boyfriend getting up from their large table in the back of the club to head out to the dance floor with Alexa. He's got a smile on his face, his eyes bright as he leads Alexa over by the hand and Ozzy can't help but follow him all the way with his eyes. He looks amazing in those jeans, that jumper that fit tight to his body and showed off his broad chest and built arms. He's the sexiest man in the room in Ozzy's opinion and when he briefly looks around the club, he sees that he's not the only one who thinks so.

There's a tap on the bar behind him and when he turns around, one of the bartenders is smiling at him and indicating his drinks are ready. She offers to help him carry them to his table but Diego shows up next to him and picks up some of the drinks so he just thanks her and leaves a big tip before following Diego back to the table.

"Hey!!!" Everyone cheers when Ozzy and Diego get back, passing out the shots and pints of beer, some fruity drinks for the girls. He takes a seat next to Kyle, one of Finn's teammates and Diego takes the other seat beside him.

"Sticking with beer tonight, mate?" Kyle asks, tapping his shot glass against Ozzy's pint glass and saying cheers before he swallows it down.

"Yeah. Beer is good for me. I'm not a big drinker," Ozzy replies with an easy smile. That's not exactly true, really. He can knock back quite a few drinks when he knows Jacob is somewhere safe and he doesn't have to be sober to take care of him. Not tonight though. He wasn't going to get drunk, not when he was going to fuck his boyfriend later or vice versa. They both needed to be sober for that or it wasn't happening. He wouldn't let it.

"You got a kid right?" Diego asks, taking a sip of his vodka tonic.

"I do, yeah. He's four," Ozzy says, a smile on his face at the mention of his son.

"Thought I saw that somewhere. The internet probably. I got one, too, actually. You kind of get used to not drinking much because the little ones are always around then it kind of loses its appeal I guess. Can't remember the last time I was really, really drunk," Diego admits, looking off into the distance thoughtfully.

"Hey," Kyle taps him on the arm and leans in "I think one of Alexa's friends wants to get in your pants man."

Ozzy briefly looks in the direction of the dance floor where Alexa's Uni friends are dancing. He knows exactly who Kyle is talking about. Her name is Lindsey. She's tall, long dark hair, a toned body that makes it pretty clear she works out, and her dress is short enough it barely leaves anything to the imagination. She was definitely beautiful and if Ozzy were single and out with his friends in New York and she was there looking at him the way she is now...yeah, he'd probably have a one off with her. Right now, though, it's not affecting him at all. He has eyes only for Finn.

Speaking of Finn. Ozzy trails his eyes further up the dance floor to find him and- okay, who the _fuck_ taught his boyfriend to move his hips like _that_? His eyes widened briefly before he managed to school his expression, knowing anyone could be looking at him and figure out he was looking at Finn. It was obscene though. The way he moved his hips from side to side, his hands in the air above his head, his eyes closed as he's fully engulfed by the music. _Jesus_ _fucking_ _Christ_. 

"Hey. Did you hear me?" Kyle taps his arm again and Ozzy rips his eyes away from Finn to look at him.

"Yeah. I heard you," Ozzy replied, lifting his pint glass for a drink.

"Not interested?" Kyle raises an eyebrow "You taken already?"

A small smile tugs at Ozzy's lips and he shrugs noncommittally "I might be."

"You totally are!"Kyle laughs "Okay. Might want to tell her that then. Or send her my way even. She's gorgeous."

"You want me to be your wingman?" Ozzy quirks an eyebrow at him.

"God no. I'd never get any women that way. I think rockstar outranks footie player in this instance," Kyle snorted.

"Yeah but do you really want a girl who only wants you because you're a soccer player?" Ozzy asked, a look of amusement on his face.

"For a one night stand? Absolutely!" Kyle grinned and Ozzy couldn't help but break out into loud laughter. The man had a point. If all he's looking for is a good time between two consenting adults, it doesn't really matter why it happens.

Kyle stood up and clapped Ozzy on the back then headed out onto the dance floor to join the girls. Once he was gone, his eyes found Finn again, his heart rate picking up when he caught Finn looking back. They locked eyes for a moment, their gaze intense, then Finn must have realized the affect he was having on Ozzy because that's when a smirk came across his face and he turned around, his hips moving to the beat of the music, his fabulous ass just _right_ _there_ , waiting to be grabbed.

Ozzy groaned and swiped his free hand over his face, leaving it there so that he was staring at Finn from between his fingers. What the fuck was even happening? How does someone who is shy know how to dance like that? How can someone who has the attention of half the people in the club not know how incredible he truly is?

Suddenly someone was sitting next to him again and there was laughter in his ear "We probably should have warned you about Finn's spectacular dancing skills."

Ozzy turned to find Asa looking at him with a gleeful look on his face "He should be illegal."

Asa threw his head back and laughed loudly "Oh my God! Your face!"

Ozzy glared at him but that only made Asa laugh harder.

"Oh my God," Ozzy smacked his arm with the back of his hand "Will you stop laughing? This isn't funny. I'm not quite twenty-three yet and probably about to die of a heart attack."

"You and half the people in this room, mate," Asa tipped his head toward the crowd of people on the dance floor. Everyone was dancing and having fun but he could easily see the looks Finn was getting. Maybe they thought they were being subtle but they weren't.

"Yeah well, half the people in this room better keep their hands to themselves," Ozzy folded his arms across his chest "Or we're gonna have a problem."

Asa snorted and clapped Ozzy on the back as he stood up "Judging by the look on your face right now, I have no doubt about what you and Finn will be up to later."

Ozzy didn't say anything in response, just glared at Asa's back as he walked off onto the dance floor. When he was out of sight, Ozzy's eyes found Finn again, watching as he threw his head back and laughed at something Alexa said. He looked really happy and Ozzy couldn't help but smile because he deserved to be happy always.

His boyfriend was a rare find, an amazing person who was so real and so genuine. It was so hard to find people like that these days, especially in Ozzy's world. He had his sister and her husband, Kara and his best friend Chris, a couple of other good friends in New York and of course, Harry. Everyone else that came into his life, he had to keep a guard up with because he's famous now and makes a lot of money. It's really easy for someone to only like him for his money and fame.

Soon Finn and Alexa were leaving the dance floor and coming back to the table for their drinks. Finn sat down in the chair next to Ozzy, with Alexa on the other side of him and the scent of Finn's cologne filled his nose. He could feel himself inching closer to Finn and wondered if he was fucking drunk from the smell. Or maybe it was love he was drunk on? Whatever it was, he liked the feeling. Wanted to be drunk on Finn always.

"Hey," Finn inched closer as well, meeting him in the middle "We've been here for three hours. It's after midnight. I'm ready to go. I was ready two hours and fifty minutes ago. How about you?"

"I'm so fucking ready," Ozzy replied in a low voice, making sure he couldn't be heard by anybody else. Unlikely with the music but you never can be too careful.

"Okay. Why don't you go on ahead then? I'll leave ten minutes after you with Alexa and get the car to drop her off first then I'll meet you at your flat," Finn suggested.

Ozzy smirked and leaned a little closer "Should I be naked when you get there?"

Finn stared at him intensely and Ozzy could swear the blue of his eyes turned a shade darker "Don't you dare. You're mine tonight and I want to unwrap you like a present."

Ozzy's breath hitched "Yeah?"

Finn nodded very slowly, his eyes never leaving Ozzy's "Yeah."

"Jesus Christ," Ozzy cursed "Okay. Okay, yeah. Just-hurry okay? Fuck."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Finn said "I saw Kellan before we came back to the table. He's out having a smoke and said he'd get you a cab."

"Alright," Ozzy stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair to shrug on "See you back at my place then."

"See you back at your place. Soon."

As far as Ozzy is concerned, it wouldn't be fast enough.

 

~~~

 

Ozzy knew waiting around for Finn was going to drive him crazy. His dick was already mildly interested just from the anticipation of what was to come so he knew he had to do something to keep himself busy while he waited.

He decided to call Kara. Talking to his friend would keep him calm and he certainly wouldn't end up with a raging boner while talking to her. She was like a second sister to him.

So he called her since it was still early evening in New York and they spent twenty-five minutes on the phone catching up. Her father was doing much better. The Doctors were saying it was as close to a miracle as they'd ever seen. He shouldn't have survived, especially since his heart stopped twice and they had to bring him back. He pulled through, though, and was getting better everyday. He had a long road ahead with physical therapy and other things but he was alive and all the blockages to his heart were cleared. He had a good chance to live a lot more years.

There was nothing else Kara could do there. There would be months of physical therapy but her Dad had a physical therapist for that, as well as a nurse who would help out at home when he's finally released from the hospital. It's all covered by his insurance and would take a lot of the stress and responsibility off of her Mother.

So there was nothing left to do and Kara's Dad encouraged her to come back to London and get back to her job. She refused at first but he talked her into it, pointing out that all she did all day was sit by his bed and read a book. He promised to talk to her everyday on Skype so she agreed and she told Ozzy she'd be back in London by Wednesday.

Once they hung up, Ozzy sat on the couch shaking his leg anxiously. It was crazy really. He's had plenty of sex in his life, it's not like he's a blushing virgin, yet he was nervous and anxious, waiting for his boyfriend to show up.

Maybe it's because it's been over a month since they got together and they haven't had the opportunity to do more than blow jobs and hand jobs. The sexual tension between them was off the charts and Ozzy had never come as hard as he has been over the past month when he jerks off thinking about Finn.

Unable to sit any longer, he stands up and goes upstairs to make sure everything is okay in his bedroom. The room is clean, he's got condoms, lube, music if they want it. He's already made sure of all of this, he didn't need to check it again.

He heads back downstairs and is about to wander into the kitchen when he hears a key in the lock at the front door. He immediately heads in that direction and stops when he sees Finn taking his boots off and leaving them by the door. Finally. Finn was finally here and they were finally going to get to be together.

Finn lifted his head after he got his boots off, his eyes locking onto Ozzy's right away. Neither one of them spoke, just stared for what felt like forever to Ozzy but was only about thirty seconds. "Hi," he managed to breathe out, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

Finn didn't respond verbally. Instead he walked quickly toward Ozzy and pulled him in close, kissing him roughly. Ozzy made a noise in surprise but quickly wrapped his arms around Finn's neck and kissed him back just as rough and desperate as he was being kissed. Finn has never kissed him like this before. He really, really liked it.

Ozzy quickly lost himself in the kiss, finding it hard to think about anything but the feel of Finn's lips on his, the feel of his tongue licking into his mouth, the feel of his hands on his hips and over his back. He felt like he was on fire.

Maybe getting so lost in the kiss is why he was taken completely by surprise when his feet left the floor and he was suddenly being carried down the hallway "What the-?!? Finn! What are you doing?"

Finn dragged his lips over Ozzy's neck, kissing and biting at the skin for a moment before he stopped to take a breath and look at Ozzy "You. Me. Bed. Now."

Ozzy's breath hitched and he stared at Finn with wide eyes. He felt Finn's hands move down over his ass and in the blink of an eye he was being lifted up higher and his legs were wrapping around Finn's waist. He had no idea what the fuck was happening right now but he was extremely turned on by it and liked it very, very much. He's never been handled this way by any of the guys he's been with, probably because he was always bigger than them. In this case Finn was bigger and had no trouble whatsoever lifting Ozzy up into his arms. If Ozzy wasn't completely hard before, he definitely was now.

They started moving again and Ozzy stared into Finn's eyes in awe as he took the stairs two at a time to get to the bedroom. He wasn't a large man but he wasn't tiny either. He was 5'10 and he worked out. Last time he was weighed he was a hundred and seventy-five pounds. Apparently that was nothing to his boyfriend. Jesus Christ.

"Want you so bad, Ozzy," Finn murmured in his ear as they entered his bedroom "For so long. You have no idea."

Ozzy opened his mouth to respond but instead a very unmanly like squeak came out when Finn tossed him on his back onto the bed. He bounced around a few times, his mouth open in shock as he watched his boyfriend strip his shirt off over his head and toss it onto the floor, the hungry look in his eyes nearly making Ozzy's toes curl.

"What the fuck?" Ozzy managed to speak, his voice sounding strangled "I thought you were quiet and shy?"

Finn shrugged and smirked at Ozzy as he undid his jeans and pushed them down over his legs and onto the floor "I guess I'm neither when I've got a really fit boyfriend ready and waiting for me."

Ozzy held himself up on his elbows, fish mouthing as his eyes roamed over his boyfriends body. He was standing at the bottom of the bed in just his boxers, all tall and muscular, his boxers hugging his ass and thick thighs like they were painted on. Then there was his cock. Big and very noticeably filling out the front of his boxers as he got hard.

Finn climbed onto the bed on his hands and knees, parting Ozzy's legs so he could slip in between them. He helped him lift his shirt off over his head before he gently pushed him down flat on his back and began to kiss his way up over his stomach, his palms sliding over his ribs and up over his pecs.

"Have you ever had your nipples pierced?" Finn asked when he reached one of his and licked over it before sucking it into his mouth.

"What?" Ozzy closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Finn playing with his nipple "I- yeah. I have actually. When I was seventeen. Got tired of them after a couple years and took them out."

"That's a shame," Finn licked his nipple one last time then came face to face with him, their faces only inches apart "I bet they looked hot. Wish I could have seen them."

Ozzy swallowed hard and licked his lips as he stared into Finn's eyes. He was so hard and his boyfriend was so fucking hot. This dominating side to him was sexy as fuck and Ozzy needed him to do something. Yesterday!

Apparently, Finn read his mind because he smiled down at him and pressed their lips together in a hot kiss, letting it go on for awhile before he pulled back "Do you top or bottom? I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Ozzy smiled fondly up at his boyfriend and slid his hands lovingly up and down over his bare back. This was just like Finn. He may have taken control and shocked Ozzy but he was still sure to ask Ozzy what he wanted. Still making sure Ozzy was alright.

"I'm okay with either one, baby. I like both ways. We'll do it however you want."

Finn bit his lip and rolled his hips just enough for their crotches to rub together "I'd like to top if you don't mind."

"I definitely don't mind. Fuck," Ozzy cursed as his head filled with images of Finn moving on top of him, fucking him into the mattress. He needed this to happen now. Before he came in his pants.

"Okay," Finn said softly. He reached over to the bedside table and opened the drawer, taking out the lube and a condom. He put them on top of the table for easy access then he kissed Ozzy again, his tongue delving deep inside his mouth, tasting every part of his mouth over and over again, making Ozzy melt underneath him, completely going pliant as his tongue stroked over his again and again and again.

"Finn," Ozzy whined when they broke apart "Please. Please fuck me? Please. I don't want to wait anymore."

"Yeah," Finn nodded and swallowed hard "Yeah love. Okay."

Finn kissed Ozzy's lips one more time before he moved down the bed a bit to get to Ozzy's belt. He quickly got it opened then popped the button and undid the zipper, tapping Ozzy's leg to get him to lift up a bit. Ozzy did and Finn was able to get his jeans all the way off and onto the floor leaving the both of them in just their boxers.

"You're so fit," Finn murmured as he looked down at Ozzy's almost naked body "Your tattoos, your piercings- I never knew how into that I was until I met you. God Ozzy. I've never been this attracted to anyone before. Never."

"I know, baby. Believe me, I do. You've come into my world and completely turned it upside down in a good way. You make my head spin sometimes and I swear my body feels like it's on fire when you touch me. I've never wanted somebody so much in my life," Ozzy told Finn, lifting his legs to wrap around Finn's back, pushing him down so that their cocks brushed together again.

"Oh fuck," Finn rolled his hips against his again and moaned. It was the most delicious sound and it only made Ozzy harder and more frantic. He started to buck his hips up off the bed, rubbing their clothed cocks together until Finn cried out and pushed down on Ozzy's hips with his two large hands, pinning him to the bed.

"Oh my God," Ozzy choked out as he felt himself being pressed down into the mattress. He looked down his body and saw how big Finn's hands were on his hips and for a moment he thought he might pass out. He's never felt this way before, never been held down like this before, even if it is only a little bit. He liked it. He liked it and he needed more "Finn please. Please. Fuck, please." Ozzy heard himself begging.

"Shit!" Finn looked down at him with wide eyes full of desire. He pushed his boxers down over his hips and legs, kicking them away, then he kneeled over Ozzy and stroked his dick a few times, the precome making it slick and shiny.

After a moment, he moved back and took Ozzy's boxers off then reached for the lube, coating his fingers before dropping the bottle onto the bed. He grabbed one of Ozzy's legs with his clean hand and pulled him closer until his ass was resting half on his knees, completely exposing his hole.

Ozzy was breathing heavy and his chest was glistening with sweat as he watched his boyfriend lean down and take his cock into his mouth, sucking and licking over the head just as he slipped a single finger inside him.

Ozzy cursed loudly and pressed his head back into the mattress as the sensations hit him in waves. His cock was throbbing inside Finn's mouth, while Finn's fingers were opening him up and it was- fuck, it was better than anything he's ever felt before.

Finn continued to open him up while sucking on his cock. Two fingers, then three fingers were pushing inside him, rubbing against his prostate until he had tears in his eyes and he had to beg Finn to stop before he came. He didn't want to come yet. Not until Finn was inside him and ready to come too.

Finn moved back and helped Ozzy move back up the bed so that his head was on the pillows, then he reached for the condom on the table, opening it up and rolling it down his cock before spreading lube over it. Then, he was kneeling over Ozzy again and lifting Ozzy's legs up so that they were wrapped around his back, almost near his shoulders. He guided his cock to Ozzy's hole then leaned forward to kiss him, swallowing the tiny gasp Ozzy made as the head of his cock slipped inside him.

"Fuck," Finn gasped as he slid all the way in " _Fuck_!"

"Yes. God, yes. Fuck me. Please, baby. Please," Ozzy wrapped his arms around Finn and practically dug his nails into the skin on Ozzy's back trying to pull him closer.

Finn moaned and hovered over Ozzy, planting his hands flat on the bed on either side of Ozzy's head. He slowly rotated his hips, moving his cock around inside Ozzy a bit, building up a rhythm before he pulled half way out and snapped his hips, pushing back into Ozzy harder.

"Yes! Fuck that's so good," Ozzy moaned, moving his hips along with Finn's. They were both breathing heavily as Finn fucked into him over and over again, hitting his prostate almost every time, making him see stars.

"You doing okay?" Finn panted in his ear when he leaned down to kiss along Ozzy's neck.

"Jesus fuck!" Ozzy shouted as a particularly hard thrust pushed his body up the bed a bit "Does it _sound_ like I'm not okay?"

Finn growled slightly and Ozzy didn't even have time to comprehend what was happening when Finn grabbed his arms from around him and pinned them over his head, holding them against the mattress with just one large hand "No need to be cheeky, love."

Ozzy looked up into Finn's face, his dick twitching at the smirk on Finn's face. He was fucking into Ozzy at a hard, steady pace, all while holding Ozzy's arms down against the mattress. He literally couldn't move them and fuck if that didn't bring him close to the edge.

Finn continued to fuck him, the both of them breathing heavy and sweating from the exertion "Finn. Finn, oh fuck. I need- please touch me. I need to come."

"Yeah?" Finn's hips started to move faster, indicating he was also close to coming "You want to come? If I let your arms go so I can touch you, can you keep them over your head for me? Hmm? Keep them right where they are until I say you can move them?"

"Yes! Yes! I will. I promise. Please, baby. Please touch me," Ozzy practically cried.

Finn let go of his arms and Ozzy kept them over his head, exactly the way they were. He watched as Finn held himself up with one hand while jerking him off with the other. They were both close, their moaning becoming louder and dirtier. It was starting to sound like a porno in the room. A really hot porno.

"Oh God, baby. I'm gonna come. I'm gonna come!" Ozzy cried out as Finn's hips moved at lightning speed, pounding his cock inside his ass.

"Fuck. Yes. Oh God," Finn moaned loudly as his hips stuttered and he thrust once, twice, three times more before he was coming inside the condom

Ozzy was right there with him. Coming over Finn's hand and both their stomachs, his whole body shaking from the intensity. When he finished, Finn pulled out and got rid of the condom, quickly wiped the come off his hand and their stomachs, then he crawled back in between Ozzy's legs and lay half on top of him, holding him close and kissing his cheek, his lips, his shoulder, while their bodies continued to settle after their orgasms.

"Well," Ozzy finally spoke up once he caught his breath and his legs stopped shaking "We definitely have a problem here."

"What?" Finn pulled back and looked at him like he was crazy "A problem?"

"Uh huh," Ozzy nodded his head while his fingers moved slowly up and down over Finn's back "You've fucked me so good I'm probably going to need you to keep doing that everyday. Sometimes more than once a day I think."

"Oh my God," Finn barked out a laugh "I thought- I thought you were going to say you didn't enjoy it."

"Fuck no! I more than enjoyed it. It was the best sex I've ever had. Honestly. I have never come so hard in my life. It was incredible and I'm going to need to go again in about twenty minutes."

Finn laughed and pulled Ozzy closer, kissing him over and over again "I can definitely arrange that."

"Yeah? You can huh?" Ozzy pushed Finn on to his back and straddled him, the two of them giggling like children "I think next time, I'll ride you. Sit down on your cock and let you fuck up into me until I'm screaming."

Finn stared up at Ozzy, his eyes quickly beginning to cloud over with desire again. He slid his hands over Ozzy's thighs, over his hips, then down onto his ass, pulling the cheeks apart and slipping two fingers inside Ozzy's still opened hole "What are we waiting for then? I say twenty minutes must be up by now!"

Ozzy threw his head back and laughed loudly, his palms resting on top of Finn's chest "I couldn't agree more.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy the next chapter! As always, thank you for reading and please let me know what you think :)

 

 

**April 2043**

 

The first week of April found Niall coming home one night with some...unsettling? News for Harry. He didn't really know how else to describe it. It wasn't necessarily bad news but in Niall's mind it wasn't exactly great either. It could definitely turn their world a bit upside down and for that reason it was unsettling.

When he entered the house, the first thing he heard was screaming and he leaned his back against the door for a minute, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath. He already had to have a serious discussion with Harry, he really didn't need to deal with screaming kids as well. Not tonight.

He sighed as he pushed himself off the door and toed his shoes off, leaving them by the door. He removed his light jacket and hung it up in the closet then headed further into the house to find out what all the screaming was about.

"Oi!" Niall shouted as he entered the living room to find Kate and Nori trying to keep the twins quiet and the twins simply shouting over them and not listening to a damn thing their sisters are telling them "What's going on in here?"

All four of his children turn to face him and are quiet for about twenty seconds before they all started talking at him at the one time and he had to shout to be heard over them once again. "Everybody quiet! Now!" They all stopped talking and stared at him again so he continued "Good. Nori, tell me what's happening and not one of you will interrupt." Niall waved his hand around, indicating Kate, Charlie and Matty.

"Okay," Nori started "Pop was expecting a call from Mr. Cowell, presumably about the X-Factor, so he asked me and Kate to watch the twins. Everything was fine until they got in one of their moods- you know the one I'm talking about- and started antagonizing each other. It all went downhill from there."

Niall looked away from Nori and at the twins, having to keep himself from laughing at the matching grumpy looks on their faces. Those looks brought new meaning to the word 'sulking'.

"Is your Pop still on the phone?" Niall asked his eldest daughter.

"I think so. He went in your office to take the call,"

"Alright. Charlie. Matty. No more yelling and no more antagonizing each other please," Niall gave his son's a stern look.

"I don't even know what that means, Daddy!" Charlie said, clearly exasperated. Matty nodded his head, agreeing with him.

"It means you're not to bug each other anymore. Play nice and listen to your sisters, okay? I'm going to talk to your Pop for a minute. If I hear anymore yelling you'll both be going to bed extra early tonight and I know you don't like going to bed before your bed time,"

"Okay Daddy," Charlie and Matty said in unison. They looked up at him with wide blue eyes that made his heart melt and he couldn't help but walk over and bring the both of them into a hug. He always hugs or kisses his kids when he gets home. He wasn't about to stop tonight.

"Good. I'm going to change my clothes and find your Pop. I won't be long," Niall turned around to exit the living room, kissing Nori and Kate on the forehead before he left.

He went upstairs first, to change into an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt really quickly, then he headed back downstairs and down the hallway to where his office is, quietly opening the door and stepping in, apparently just as Harry was ending his call.

"Hi darlin'" Niall smiled and walked over to the desk where Harry was sitting "Kate said you were expecting a call from Eric?"

"Hiiiii," Harry stood up and greeted Niall with a dimpled smile. He wrapped his long arms around Niall's waist and pulled him in close, kissing the tip of his nose, then his lips "I was. Just going over some things having to do with the show. Auditions are in six weeks. It's exciting."

"It is! I can't wait until it starts airing on the telly, although as your husband I fully expect to get all the details before it starts airing. I promise I won't tell a soul." Niall says playfully.

"I always tell you everything anyway," Harry rolls his eyes.

"So do I," Niall smiled "Um. Listen. I need to talk to you about something but if I try now we'll probably get interrupted. Not sure if you heard the tantrum the twins were throwing or not, so I was thinking tonight? Once the kids are in bed."

"Okay," Harry said carefully "Should I be freaking out right now? You're not divorcing me are you?"

"No!" Niall slapped a hand gently across Harry's chest "I told you many years ago you're stuck with me. There's no divorcing going on here."

"Alright," Harry chuckled "Good. We'll talk later then?"

"Yeah," Niall wrapped his arms around Harry, hugging him with his cheek pressed to Harry's chest "Love you."

"I love you, too," Harry pressed a kiss to the top of Niall's head "Shall we go see what our children are up to?"

"We definitely should," Niall took Harry's hand and led him out of the room to find their children. Everything else could wait until later.

  
~~~

  
Niall climbed into bed around eleven that night after looking in on Nori and Kate to say goodnight. The twins were already in bed by nine, Kate was just turning off her light and Nori was reading for a bit before she went to sleep. Finn wasn't home yet but at nineteen years old he was past the age where he needed a curfew. He technically wasn't even required to check in with them since he is of legal age but he does anyway, because he's a good son and likes to make sure they know where he is so they don't worry. As long as he doesn't make any noise and wake the whole house up when he comes in at night, it's okay with Niall and Harry.

"Alright," Harry finished stripping off his clothes and slid under the sheets in just his boxers "Talk to me. I could tell all night something was eating at you."

Niall whipped his head around and looked at Harry with wide eyes "Was I that noticeable? Do you think the kids noticed?"

Harry took a minute to fluff up his two pillows then lay down on his side facing Niall who was still sitting up with his back against the headboard. He smiled reassuringly at Niall and laced their fingers together on top of the duvet "No. The kids were oblivious. You were just their normal, fun Dad. I only noticed because we've been together for a quarter of a century. I know everything about you."

"Oh. Okay. That's good." Niall nodded his head.

"So tell me what's wrong? We share all our burdens, right? We never have to face anything alone," Harry says, poking Niall's leg with his index finger.

"Okay," Niall took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning his body slightly so that he could look at Harry "Aunt Sheila called me on my cell phone today while I was at work. Jennifer showed up at her house in Ireland a month ago."

"What?" Harry's mouth opened in shock "She just showed up out of nowhere? It's been what- sixteen years since Sheila has seen her?"

"Yes. She stayed with my Aunt and Uncle for two years after Finn was born but all they did was fight so she left to live her own life. They never had contact with her, they just knew she was alive and in Kilkenny." Niall said, the fingers of his free hand picking at a loose thread in their duvet.

Harry is quiet for a good five minutes and Niall lets him be. He knows Harry needs time to process this. He certainly did when Sheila had called him earlier while he was at work. He spent the last couple of hours at work just sitting at his desk thinking.

When Harry finally cleared his throat as if he was about to speak, Niall looked over at him again and immediately saw the concern in his eyes. It probably mirrored the look in his own eyes.

"She wants to see Finn, doesn't she? Jennifer." Harry asks quietly.

"Yeah. She saw his pictures. I mean, Aunt Sheila is his grandmother and we wanted her to be that to Finn. They have a great relationship. Finn loves her as much as he loves my mum and your mum. We knew this could happen one day. I feel like we shouldn't be shocked but..." Niall's voice trailed off a bit "Anyway, she saw the pictures Aunt Sheila has around her house and she asked if she could see Finn."

"What did Sheila tell her?"

"Aunt Sheila- she's a tough old woman," Niall chuckled "Almost eighty but she's as fiery as ever. She said she sat Jennifer down and told her she isn't Finn's parent, you and I are his parents and if she tried to see Finn without our permission she'd smack her across the arse with her cane."

"Oh my God!" Harry burst out laughing, rolling his body into Niall's side and burying his face in Niall's lap. It wasn't lost on Niall that if anyone walked in right now it would look like Harry is blowing him.

"Good old Aunt Sheila," Niall buried his fingers in Harry's hair and lightly scratched at his scalp while he laughed along with him.

"What are we going to do, Niall? What _can_ we do?" Harry asked, lifting his head up so he could look at Niall.

"I think we have to tell him. He's nineteen. He's an adult. It can't be our decision. It has to be his. I've been thinking about this all day and I think we need to tell him all the facts and let him know we'll support him and be there for him no matter what his decision is," Niall told Harry.

Harry rolled back over onto his back and sighed loudly "I know. I know you're right, I just- I don't want him to get hurt. My instincts tell me to protect him, to protect my child, but I know we can't always do that. I know."

"It might not turn out to be a bad thing that this happened. If he decides to meet her and they can form some kind of relationship, I don't think that's a bad thing. One more person in his life to love him isn't a bad thing,"

"Is that what she wants, though? What if she's after his money? What if she got dragged into the drug world again and simply wants him to bankroll her addiction? Did Sheila say how Jennifer is? If she's even stable?" Harry asks, his voice rising a bit the more he worries.

"Believe me, I asked all those questions. Aunt Sheila said she's doing well. She's clean and she put herself through school to become a social worker so she can help women specifically like her," Niall says "I trust Aunt Sheila. Finn is her only grandchild. She would never even tell us Jennifer is back if she didn't think it was safe."

"Well I want to talk to her before we tell Finn. I want to see for myself that she's changed her life. I want drug tests and I want to talk to her boss to prove she really is working a steady job and is good at it," Harry sits up in the bed with a scowl on his face "I mean it. I don't care how extreme I sound. If she really wants to meet Finn, she won't have a problem with any of it."

"Let's call Aunt Sheila tomorrow, have a long talk with her, maybe talk to Jennifer as well, but let's hold off on the drug tests and calling her employer for now," Niall chuckled "We can figure out our next step after we talk to them both."

"Okay," Harry folds his arms over his chest, the scowl still on his face "Okay. If I get even one bad vibe from her, I swear-"

"I know darlin'" Niall reached up and rested a hand on one of his forearms "I'm right there with you. We'll protect Finn the best we can."

Harry sighed and slid down until he was laying on his back again "I hope he doesn't get hurt by this. He's our little Finny. I couldn't stand it. I love him so much."

"So do I, darlin," Niall curled into Harry's side and held him close "So do I."

  
~~~

  
Finn walked into the house one morning after practice, feeling completely exhausted. He hadn't really slept much in a week but it was his own fault. He certainly wasn't going to complain about it. Especially since the reason he wasn't sleeping was because he was having hot sex with his boyfriend.

After that first time, the floodgates seemed to open and they couldn't keep their hands off each other. He spent all his time at Ozzy's place, disappearing into Ozzy's bedroom at night once Jacob is fast asleep. Once Kara came back they were able to sneak away sometimes during the day when there was a break in recording. Finn wasn't looking after Jacob anymore so he was available whenever the opportunity presented itself.

His mind immediately remembers two days ago when his Pop had to leave for an hour to take Kate to a dentist appointment. He grabbed Ozzy's hand and they ran giggling up the stairs, locking themselves in Finn's bedroom where Finn pinned him up against the door and fucked him senseless.

Kara also helped them by sending them off to a hotel a few times with a smirk on her face, telling them she'd take care of Jacob so they could have some alone time together. They took her up on her offer and took advantage of being completely alone to be as loud as they wanted. They didn't have to be quiet without Jacob and Kara down the hall.

Finn found that he liked the times when they had to be quiet though. The sex tended to be slower and less frantic. They took their time with each other, swallowing their moans with kisses or by burying their faces in each other's necks. It all felt so intimate and only made Finn want to tell Ozzy even more that he's in love with him. He's almost said it a few times while he's thrusting inside of Ozzy but somehow always managed to bite his tongue. He didn't want to say it too soon and risk scaring him away.

Something else Finn really loved about the sex was he and Ozzy were learning so many new things about each other. Intimate things and it only made him feel that much closer to his boyfriend.

His favourite thing that he learned was that Ozzy enjoyed being submissive and letting Finn take control. They talked about it after the first few times they had sex and Ozzy confided in him that before Finn, he didn't know he liked that stuff. He explained that Finn is the first guy he's been with that's bigger than him and while he's very versatile and likes both topping and bottoming, he had been mostly a top when with guys so he never got the chance to explore his submissive side.

So they agreed to explore it together, Ozzy telling him he trusted him completely and promised him he'd be completely honest about what he wanted and what he didn't want.

With a smile on his face, he headed further into the house and was going to head upstairs to put his stuff in his room when his Pop called out to him from the kitchen, asking him if he could go in there. He leaves his bag by the stairs and heads into the kitchen, a surprised look on his face when he sees his Dad also sitting at the table.

"No work today, Dad?" Finn asked as he opened up the fridge and took out the pitcher of orange juice. He poured himself a glass, put the pitcher back in the fridge and turned around to head to the table, stopping in his tracks when he sees the nervous looks on his parents faces "What's wrong?"

"Come sit down with us, Bub," His Dad beckons him over and for just a moment his heart feels like it's lodged in his throat. He wonders if his parents found out about him and Ozzy and Ozzy was right about his Pop not handling it well. They don't look angry though, just nervous, so Finn tries to slow his breathing and sits down across from his parents.

"Is everything okay? Did something happen? Is Grandpa Bobby alright? I know he was sick but it was just the flu wasn't it? Nothing serious?" Finn asked, wondering if his grandfather was sicker than his parents led them all to believe.

"No no, Bobby is perfectly fine. I just talked to him last night. He was watching the news and cursing at every second story that came on," His Dad laughed.

"Yeah. Your grandpa is fine," His Pop tried to smile at him reassuringly "We just need to talk to you about something important. We talked about it and we agree that you're old enough and mature enough to handle this."

"Okay. Handle what?" Finn asked slowly, his brain running a mile a minute trying to figure out what could possibly be going on.

"Well Bub, I got a call a few days ago from your granny Sheila. She wanted to give us a heads up that Jennifer has come back into her life and she's been asking about you," His Dad said quietly, making sure he kept eye contact with Finn the whole time.

"Jennifer," Finn said, staring dumbly back and forth between his parents.

"Yes. Jennifer," His Pop nodded "Your Mother."

Finn flinched and sat back in his chair, trying desperately to make sense of what his parents just told him. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and he couldn't seem to lift his eyes away from the table top.

"Are you okay, Finnegan?" His Pop sounded worried "Talk to us please. Tell us what you're thinking."

Finn shook his head like he was trying to rid himself of cobwebs, then somehow managed to look up at his parents again "I don't- I don't know what I'm thinking. All I know for sure right now is that I don't- please don't call her my Mother. Please. Just- can we just call her Jennifer?"

"Sure. Yeah. Of course, Bub," His Dad reached over to cover his hand with one of his own, squeezing reassuringly.

"I'm sorry. I'm not- I don't mean to be rude or anything. She's just- she's not my Mother. I don't have a Mother. I have a Pop and a Dad. You guys are my two parents. She's not- I don't like it. She's not my Mother," Finn rambled on, seemingly unable to control himself.

"Finnegan," His Pop got up and walked around the table, crouching down next to his chair so he could look him in the eye "Its okay, love. We won't call her that anymore and you don't have to call her that either. Okay?"

Finn licked his dry lips and nodded his head "Okay. Thank you. I just- it doesn't feel right. It feels like I'm betraying you if I call her that."

"You could never betray us, Finn. Never," His Pop said emphatically, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek "You are _our_ son. We love you more than anything and we know you love us, too."

"Yeah Bub. Don't refrain from calling her your Mother just for us. If that's what you want to call her, you should call her that," His Dad spoke up.

"No," Finn shook his head "No, I really just don't want to call her that. I don't think of her in that way. I don't think about her at all."

His parents didn't say anything, just nodded their heads in understanding so he continued on "So she asked about me? Why?"

"She wants to meet you," His Dad explained "We called her ourselves and spoke to her. She said she just wants to meet you, even if it's just one time. We told her that wasn't our decision to make. It was completely up to you and we wouldn't interfere. We wouldn't try to sway you in any direction. We would simply support you and be here for anything you need."

"Obviously you're probably quite shocked right now. It's a lot to take in," His Pop stood up and sat back down in his chair "You don't have to make a decision right now. You can take as long as you want. Even if it takes a year or five years, take as much time as you need. If you have any questions or you need to talk about anything, you can come to us. Don't bottle this up inside, okay? Please."

"I won't. I promise I won't. I don't want to meet her though. I was curious when I was a kid but I haven't thought about it since. I just don't feel the need to meet her. I have two great parents. I don't need or even want another one," Finn explained to his parents.

"You won't have to meet her if you don't want to but don't make that decision right away. Take some time and think about it. Give yourself time to process all of this first," His Dad encouraged him.

"Alright. I guess? I don't think it'll change anything but...okay, I'll take some time," Finn told his parents. He really didn't want to meet her but his parents have never steered him wrong before. They always do what's best for him. If they think it's a good idea to take some time to process things then he'll do it. He trusts them completely.

"Okay," His Dad stood up and motioned for Finn to stand as well. He did, and his Dad wrapped him up in a fierce hug, kissing his cheek "I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad," Finn said quietly, holding on to his Dad a bit longer than usual.

His Pop smiled at them then proclaimed it was his turn and the next thing he knew he had both his parents wrapped around him.

"Everything will be fine, Finn. No matter what you decide you'll still have your Dad and I, your siblings and your friends. Take some time to think about it but try not to stress about it, okay? Everything will be fine either way." His Pop said in his ear while squeezing his arm affectionately.

Finn was taller than his Dad but that didn't stop him from hiding his face against his neck like he used to do when he was a kid and his Dad would carry him. It made him feel better, made him feel calm and that's what he needed right now if he was going to wrap his brain around any of this.

After about five minutes, he pulled back and thanked his parents, telling them he was tired after practice so he was going to go up and take a nap. They both smiled at him and hugged him one last time, then he headed upstairs and dropped right into bed, pulling the blanket up over his head and falling asleep immediately.

  
~~~

  
Finn ended up sleeping for a few hours, waking up at ten to three in the afternoon to some missed texts from Ozzy. He scrolled through them while he was struggling to fully wake up, a smile and a blush on his face when he read some of them.

**Morning baby :)**

**I hope you had a good practice.**  

**Wish I was there to watch you being all sexy in your workout clothes.**

**What do you call it? Your kit? I don't get it but whatever. You're quite sexy in your KIT.**

**I'm at your house. Harry mentioned you're upstairs fast asleep. I want so badly to come up there and crawl into bed with you.**

**Maybe I will when Harry leaves to pick up Charlie and Matty.**

Right on cue there's a knock on his door and based on what time it is, he's pretty sure it's his boyfriend. He put his phone on the bedside table and called for whoever was at the door to come in. Sure enough it was Ozzy and he had a huge smile on his face once he saw that Finn was awake.

"Hey. I wasn't sure if you'd be awake yet or not," Ozzy shut the door behind him and came over to jump on the bed, pushing Finn back down onto his back so he could climb on top of him.

Finn laughed and placed his hands on Ozzy's hips "I just woke up actually. Just finished reading your texts."

Ozzy hummed and leaned down to kiss him softly a few times "You don't normally take a nap after practice. You feeling okay?"

"Well I'm exhausted. You've kept me quite busy recently," Finn smirked and slid his hands around to cup Ozzy's arse.

"Oh yeah. Kara says I'm like a zombie but it's totally worth it. Can't get enough of you," Ozzy smiled down at him, the affection in his eyes stirring something in Finn's stomach.

"Can't get enough of you either," Finn said, yanking Ozzy down on top of him, chest to chest, making Ozzy shout in surprise then burst into a fit of laughter.

"I hope you're not planning on starting anything right now. Harry won't be gone that long and the last thing we need is for him to find out about us when he walks in on me sucking your cock," Ozzy said, huffing out a laugh against Finn's neck.

"Nah. I just want to hold you right now. Just like this," Finn answered, tightening his arms around Ozzy's back.

He felt Ozzy kiss his neck and squeeze him back, then he lifted his head slightly so he could see Finn's face "Hey. Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Finn smiled up at Ozzy but he knew it wasn't his normal smile. Even though he slept a bit, he was still tired, only now he felt emotionally tired as well. Drained. "I'm okay."

"Really?" Ozzy quirked an eyebrow "I've known you for six months now. I like to think I've learned a bit about your moods and facial expressions. You seem a bit off to me."

"I'm okay. Truly. Just- my parents told me some stuff this morning that I have to think about. I don't really want to talk about it right now though. Pop won't be gone that long. I'll tell you about it later when we have more time," Finn explained.

"That's fine. Just- let me know if you need anything. I want to help if I can," Ozzy said, a small frown on his face.

"Could I stay over tonight?" Finn asked hopefully "I like sleeping next to you."

"Yeah. You can always stay over. I like sleeping next to you, too. Even if we haven't really been sleeping much when near a bed," Ozzy laughed.

Finn quirked his lips up in a smile and reached up to run his hand through Ozzy's hair "Maybe tonight we could just talk?"

"Talk and cuddle?" Ozzy suggests and Finn looks at him and nods gratefully. "That's what we'll do then."

"Thank you," Finn whispered. He was so lucky to have a boyfriend who clearly cared about him and wanted to help him, be there for him. It choked him up a little to think about it. He had to close his eyes for a minute so Ozzy didn't notice they were watery.

"You're welcome," Ozzy kissed him softly "Now kiss me please. I need at least ten minutes of make out time. I can't survive without it."

Finn let out a surprised laugh and quickly rolled them over on the bed so that Ozzy was beneath him "Can't live without it hmm?"

"What can I say? I love kissing you. You're a very good kisser you know," Ozzy said matter of factly.

Finn giggled and leaned down to kiss Ozzy, wasting no time nudging his lips open to kiss him as deeply as he could. When Ozzy moaned and curled his fingers into Finn's hair, he couldn't help but smile into the kiss. He definitely loved kissing Ozzy too.

  
~~~

  
Harry spent the whole day thinking about Finn after they told him that Jennifer wanted to meet him. He knows they had to tell him. It has to be his choice whether or not he meets her but God did it hurt. Not because he's afraid Finn will decide to meet Jennifer and hit it off with her, leaving him and Niall behind. He had no worries about that. Even though Finn wasn't always a demonstrative person, Harry knew without a doubt that his son loved him and Niall with all his heart.

No, it was hard because Harry didn't like the lost look that came over his sons face. The fear and uncertainty in his eyes while he sat there and tried to be strong through it all. He probably never thought this would ever happen. That he might end up potentially face to face with the woman who gave birth to him. The woman who gave him away.

It was half nine now and Finn wasn't home. He went out after dinner. Harry suspects he probably went to see the boy he was dating and that was okay with him. He didn't know how things were going between his son and the mystery guy in his life but if he was good to Finn and Finn trusted him enough to go there today, then Harry had high hopes for the relationship and hopefully they'd get to meet this guy soon.

Harry sighed and went into the laundry room to get some clothes from the dryer. He put them in the basket, then held the basket against his hip as he headed through the kitchen and toward the stairs to go up to his and Niall's bedroom. Once there, he poured the clothes out onto the bed and began sorting them, cooing when he picked up some jeans that belonged to Matty and Charlie. No matter how many kids he and Niall have, he'll never be able to get over how cute and tiny children's clothes are and Charlie and Matty were six! Dressing Ryanne everyday, in her tiny little onesies, and frilly little dresses, was going to reduce Harry to a cooing mess.

He must have been pretty engrossed in folding the clothes because when Niall came charging loudly into the room, Harry actually jumped and squealed a bit "Niall! What-?"

"Don't you have your phone on you, darlin'?" Niall stepped in front of Harry and put both his hands on Harry's biceps.

Harry frowned and patted at his pockets, finding that, no, he didn't actually have his phone "I must have left it down on the kitchen counter."

Niall dropped his hands from Harry's biceps, just long enough for him to throw his arms around Harry's neck instead and burst into loud, excited laughter "That's why you're not freakin' out! You didn't get the text!"

"What text?" Harry asked nervously. His first instinct was to worry about his kids but then he realized Niall was smiling and laughing so they must be fine.

"Ryanne is coming!"

" _What?_!?!" Harry gasped, his eyes going wide."Our baby girl? She's coming? Today? Right now?"

"Yes!" Niall laughed and started jumping up and down in Harry's arms "Let's go to the hospital. We have to be there when she's born so we can be the first people she meets."

Harry watched as his husband detached himself from his arms and started skipping around the room like a child while he grabbed some decent clothes to change into. Joggers and a t-shirt with a ketchup stain from dinner just wouldn't cut it.

He looked really happy. Was practically brimming over with excitement and Harry loved it. He loved how Niall always reacted like this even though this is their seventh child. He's just as giddy and excited as he was when Finn, Nori and Kate were born and they were getting ready to rush to the hospital to meet their babies.

"Come on then! Don't just stand there staring at me. I know I'm hard to resist standing here in me underwear but you'll have to have your way with me later. We have a baby to meet!" Niall grinned at him, a look of mischief in his eyes.

Harry burst out laughing, his loud bark of laughter that he used to try and hide back when he was young and just breaking into the music industry. It wasn't until he met and fell in love with Niall that he stopped trying to censor himself. Yeah, it was a weird, sometimes ugly, laugh but it was a part of him and Niall adored it. He made Harry see he shouldn't be ashamed of it.

"You _are_ incredibly hard to resist. I don't know how I'll manage," Harry joked, laughing loudly again when Niall shot him a playful glare.

"I assume you're not going to the hospital in your pajama pants?" Niall gave Harry a pointed look.

"No. No I'm not," Harry finally sprung into action, grabbing jeans and a clean shirt from the closet.

"I'm calling Finn," Niall called out to him.

"Put it on speaker please," Harry said as he came walking out of the closet with his clothes and started stripping out of his t-shirt and pajama pants.

A moment later, Finn's voice filled the room.

"Hi Bub. Your Pop is here too," Niall began "We need you to come home if you can. I know you probably have plans but our surrogate has gone into labour so we need to get to the hospital. We're not comfortable leaving Nori home alone with Kate and the twins over night. She's only sixteen. It's a lot to ask of her."

"Oh! Yeah, I'll be home in twenty minutes. If you need to leave before I get there, Nori and Kate should be fine. The twins are already in bed right?" Finn asked.

"They are," Harry joined in the conversation "Will you be able to get the twins to school in the morning? Just in case this turns out to be one of those births where the labour lasts thirty hours or something. I want to be prepared for everything."

"Jesus," Finn muttered "I certainly hope nobody is in labour for thirty hours but, yes, the twins will be fine. Don't worry okay?"

"We won't, Bub. Not with you there," Niall smiled at Harry as he said it "We'll let Nori and Kate know what's happening and you all can tell the twins tomorrow. Everyone goes to school though! Knowing Charlie and Matty, they'll try to make you bring them to the hospital. Tell them they're going to school and they can visit their sister after school."

"Okay Dad," Finn laughed "I can handle Charlie and Matty. I will be stopping by after I bring them to school though. She better be born by then!"

Niall and Harry both laughed before Niall said "I don't know who loves babies more. You, Rory or your Pop."

"Well it's not my fault they're so tiny and cute!" Finn laughed "Anyway, I gotta hang up so I can drive home. If you're already gone when I get there, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, love," Harry said "I love you. Thank you for looking after your siblings for us."

"I love you, too, Bub," Niall added.

"No thanks necessary. They're my family. I love them. I love you both, as well. Text me when she's born, yeah? No matter what time it is."

"We will!" Harry and Niall both said at the same time, then they hung up and finished getting dressed, both making sure they had their wallets and Harry made a stop in the kitchen for his phone. They quickly explained everything to Nori and Kate, who both squealed with excitement and hugged their parents tight. They explained Finn would be home soon, then Niall grabbed his keys and they headed out to the car to get to the hospital.

 

~~~

  
Ryanne Jessica Horan was born at four twenty-four in the morning and weighed exactly seven pounds. Their surrogate was okay with them being in the delivery room, so they were present for the whole birth and got to cut the umbilical cord together.

Now, though, they were in an empty room and Niall is watching with tear filled eyes as a nurse brings their baby in and gently places her in Harry's arms.

"Everything checks out Mr. Styles-Horan, Mr. Horan," The nurse smiles at the both of them "She's perfectly healthy. You should be able to bring her home later today. Congratulations."

They both said a quiet thank you, then the nurse left them alone with their daughter and Niall finally burst into tears. He couldn't help it. Having a baby always made him emotional. He was always hit with that overwhelming feeling of love a parent has for their child and it was always made more overwhelming for him when he got to watch the love of his life with their newborn child.

"She's beautiful, Niall," Harry gushed, the awe evident in his voice.

"Of course she is," Niall sniffed and wiped at the tears on his cheeks "She's got your genes doesn't she?"

"Yeah," Harry smiled down at their daughter in his arms, the look of love on his face making Niall's chest ache "She looks a bit like Nori doesn't she? Nori's hair was darker when she was born, though, and it stayed that way. This little one, her hair is so light."

"Anne said yours was light when you were a baby. Maybe Ryanne's will turn dark like yours did."

"Maybe," Harry leaned down and kissed their sleeping daughter's forehead tenderly "Hey. Can you take a picture? We can text it to everyone. They'll wake up to this beautiful little face."

"Absolutely," Niall wiped his eyes again and got his phone from his pocket. He took a few of Ryanne and Harry, then he got a few of just Ryanne. After showing them to Harry, he put them in a text and sent them off to Rory, Finn, Nori and Kate, his parents, Harry's parents and his brother and Harry's sister. He'd send a separate text later to all their friends.

It was still just after five in the morning but almost immediately after sending the text his phone rang with Rory calling.

"Hi, Rory. I'll put you on speaker so your Pop can hear you but keep your voice down. Ryanne is sleeping." Niall said into the phone, then he took it away from his ear and put it on speaker.

"She's amazing," Rory said in a quiet voice "So perfect. Congratulations. I know first hand how lucky she is to have you both as parents. I can't wait to meet her."

"Thank you, Rory," Harry thanked their son, a fond smile on his face "We'll probably be able to take her home later today so you can come over later if you want. Finn was going to come to the hospital but I think we'll go home to shower and change in a couple of hours, maybe get a few hours sleep before we pick her up. We'll let him know not to come "

"Alright. I'll have the nanny watch the kids and Anna and I will be over later. The kids can meet her in a few days. I don't want to overwhelm her with three crazy kids when she's only twelve hours old."

"My grand babies are not crazy!" Niall scoffed "Maybe a bit loud and exuberant but they're Horan's, that was bound to happen."

"Has there ever been a quiet Horan?" Rory snorted.

"Doubtful," Niall laughed.

"Well I'll let you go. I'm heading out for a run. I love you both. Call me later, yeah?" Rory said, then there was movement in the background like maybe he was pulling on his jacket or sneakers.

"We love you, too, Rory," Niall answered for the both of them "See you later today."

When Niall hung up the phone, he laid it on the table next to him, then turned his attention back to the sleeping little girl in his husbands arms. He couldn't take his eyes off of her and her pretty pink lips and rosy little cheeks. He was absolutely looking forward to his four months of paternity leave from work so he could spend his days with her while their other kids were in school. He already had plans to take her on long walks in her stroller. It was starting to warm up now that it was April and he was going to take full advantage of that.

"Hey. Daddy. Snap out of it," Harry's soft voice brought him out of his thoughts "How about instead of staring at your daughter all day, you hold her in your arms instead?"

Niall could feel his eyes filling with tears again and blinked his eyes rapidly to try and keep them at bay. He didn't want to start blubbering again before he got to hold his daughter for the first time.

"Here you go," Harry whispered as he carefully switched Ryanne from his arms and into his "Officially meet your new baby girl, Niall."

Niall held her close, carefully cradling her head in the palm of one of his hands. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep his heart rate steady. He didn't want to start blubbering all over her and getting snot everywhere. He just wanted to look at her, without any tears impeding his eyesight.

"Hi there," Niall whispered as he bent down to kiss her forehead. Her pink hat was a bit askew on her head so he fixed it carefully then smiled down at her while gently rubbing a thumb over her forehead.

He spent the next five minutes rocking her in his arms, not once taking his eyes off her. He was aware of Harry taking pictures and probably texting them and he could feel Harry's eyes on him, but his eyes never left his daughter's face. He was completely in love with her and she was only an hour old.

Just then, her eyes fluttered open and she made these little snuffling noises that went straight to Niall's heart. He smiled wide and lifted her up in front of his face so he could kiss her little cheek "Hello little Princess. You're daddy's little princess aren't you? The most beautiful, precious Princess in the whole world."

"Ah. There it is," Harry was looking at Niall with a huge grin on his face "I was wondering when that would happen."

"When what would happen?" Niall looked at his husband quizzically.

"The nickname. Obviously we weren't there when the twins were born but for our other kids, pretty much as soon as you held them you gave them a nickname. I don't think you even realize you're doing it but it always sticks anyway. I'm guessing this little one will be your little Princess, hmm?" Harry wondered, reaching up to brush a strand of hair off of Niall's forehead and letting his hand linger there for a moment.

"Yeah," Niall grinned at Harry "Yeah I think so. My little Princess. Just look at her eyes, darlin'. They're so bright, so lively and she's barely been in the world for an hour. I'm not talking about the colour, her eyes may not remain blue, I just mean the brightness. She's beautiful. So beautiful and God help me but I have a feeling we'll be doing this again in a couple of years."

_"What?" H_ arry barked out a laugh, making Ryanne flinch a little but she didn't start crying, probably because Harry soothed her by brushing the back of his hand over her cheek a few times "I thought you didn't want to be seventy years old and have a ten year old kid?"

"I don't," Niall shrugged "I won't be sixty in a couple years though. I'll be fifty-four. So yeah, we'll have a teenager in our seventies but we're both healthy and I like to think we'll still be cool in our seventies."

Harry burst out laughing again, his mouth open wide as he bent at the waist with his elbows on his knees "Oh my God. I think you're high right now off of the love you have for our newborn daughter. We'll discuss this when we're up for thirty-six hours straight because she has explosive diarrhea."

"Oh God," Niall shuddered a little "Remember when Charlie had that? It literally exploded *outside* of the nappy and all over his onesie and his bedsheets."

"Yep," Harry giggled "The good old days."

"Yeah," Niall smiled softly at his husband "It was gross and we were so exhausted but I wouldn't change a thing. You and I, staying up all night, taking turns holding whichever one of our kids that's sick, making each other coffee and snacks, rubbing each other's feet or shoulders. It's just you and me against the world in those moments and every time I think I'm too tired and I can't go on another second, there you are to pick me up. We're a team. A damn good one."

"We are, aren't we? There's nobody else I'd rather do this with, Niall. Marriage, kids, sharing our whole lives with each other. If I couldn't do all this with you, I wouldn't want to do it at all. I love you so much, baby."

"I love you, too," Niall smiled softly at Harry, a few silent tears rolling down his cheeks. "I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else either. I can't imagine not having my kids. Every single one of them has a piece of my heart. Rory, he came into my life as a happy, loud, cheeky fifteen year old. His world was turned upside down but he accepted me right away. He accepted the both of us. He was so happy and eager to get to know us and be a part of our family. Those first few years with him really taught me how to be a good father. I learned what it was like to have unconditional love for your child."

"I often think about that first year we had with him. It was just the three of us, our little family. I wouldn't change a thing about it," Harry said, scooting his chair closer to Niall's so he could wrap an arm around his shoulders while he gently ran a finger over Ryanne's soft cheek with his other hand.

"Then Finn came along. Our first baby the two of us got to raise from day one. Our precious baby boy who had a bit of a rough start to life always had a smile on his face, was always giggling. Back then you were still touring and sometimes I would miss you so much I couldn't breathe. Looking at Finn always made it better. His smile, his laugh, the way he'd squeal and try to run away on his tiny little legs when I'd tickle him. He got me through a tough time. He was too young to remember it but he did," Niall said quietly.

"What?" Harry looked at Niall with big, green eyes full of tears "You never told me that! Why didn't you tell me you were struggling? When was this? What tour?"

"It was the first tour you did after Finn was born. I don't even know what happened. I guess I got so used to having you home everyday for three years. Or maybe it was because it was the first time you went away for a long period of time after I almost lost you from that head injury. I don't know," Niall shrugged his shoulders then stood up to place a once again sleeping Ryanne in her hospital cot. He had a feeling he'd need both hands free to comfort his increasingly upset husband. Once he made sure their daughter was going to stay asleep, he turned back to Harry and sat right in his lap, kissing his lips gently and running his fingers through his hair.

"Niall..."

"Hey. Listen to me for a minute, yeah?" When Harry nodded he continued "I really don't know why this one particular tour was difficult for me. It could be for the reasons I told you or maybe it's because of something else. The only thing that matters here is that I got through it and I had our little boy to help me do it."

"How can you say it doesn't matter?" Harry says in a quivering voice "You were struggling and you didn't tell me! You should have told me. I'm your husband. I would have come home."

Niall laughed softly and held Harry's face with his two hands "That's exactly why I didn't tell you. I missed you so much and yes I was struggling, mostly at night when everything was quiet and I was alone in our bed, but it would have been much worse for me if you had come home and broke your contract. Your fans treated me like I was a King from the very first day they found out we were dating. They're as important to me as they are to you and I just couldn't handle it if you cancelled shows because of me. Some of your fans worked extra shifts at work and saved up for months just to pay for a ticket. If you missed some shows or a whole tour, who knows if you'd ever get back to those cities again? I wouldn't have wanted that. You know that."

"I know. I do know that. My fans are so important to me but _you_ are number one. You come first. Always. You should have told me. You should have let me be there for you. We could have Skyped a lot more or talked on the phone more. I didn't necessarily have to come home," Harry said, sniffling and wiping his cheeks with his fingers.

"You would have come home, Harry. Let's not pretend you wouldn't," Niall said gently "I was okay anyway. I started bringing Finn to bed with me so I wasn't sleeping alone. We cuddled, I read him stories, sang him songs, and on weekends we'd stay in bed and watch cartoons for awhile before we got up. He was amazing and you know what? That tough time turned into one of the best times of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Harry made a noise that sounded like a half laugh/half sob and tightened his arms around Niall "Finn still has the best smile doesn't he?"

"He does," Niall laughed and pressed his forehead against Harry's "He's still got the giggle too. It's just deeper now."

Harry laughed and nodded his head, not saying anything else at the moment, just holding Niall tight. After awhile he pulls back and wipes at his face again "I'm sorry. That you had to go through that."

"I'm not. That one on one time with Finn meant everything to me. It still does. So if you're feeling guilty, and I know you are, I need you to stop. Let it go. It's in the past and right now I want to live in the present with our beautiful newborn baby girl."

Harry nodded and leaned in to press a few lingering kisses to Niall's lips "Okay. Finish telling me why each of our kids has a special place in your heart. I want to hear that "

"Alright. Next came Nori. Not only was she our first baby girl but she was our first baby with your genes. Our only baby with your genes until now. Everyday since the day she was born, I could look at her and see you looking back at me. She didn't just inherit your looks either. She's kind and generous, she loves to laugh and have fun, she's so carefree and God help me she has your ridiculous sense of humour," Niall grinned.

"Excuse me but I'm extremely funny. You laugh at my jokes all the time," Harry glared at him, making him want to kiss the pout right off his lips.

"Yes because they're ridiculous!" Niall throws his hands up in the air and laughs when Harry tips him back and playfully bites at his neck.

"And Kate?" Harry asked when he pulled them upright again.

"Oh Katie. My little sunshine. She's my rambunctious, sassy little miss. She could hold her own with Bobby by the time she was seven. I don't think I've ever seen my Dad look so proud in his life, which I should find offensive but I don't," Niall laughed "She's always got that mischievous look in her eye and a huge smile on her face. She the opposite of Nori. Nori is quiet while Kate is loud. Nori is nice and polite, always wanting to spare people's feelings while Kate tells it like it is and if you don't like it then don't talk to her. Nori is more reserved while Kate is always laughing at something. They're so different but I love them both equally."

"I still don't know how Kate manages to speak her mind like that and not offend anyone? I wonder sometimes if I'm going to get a call from her school about her mouth," Harry says with a thoughtful look on his face.

"It's because she's not rude about it. She doesn't glare at a person and act snotty toward them. She simply states the facts, tells it like it is. I think people probably admire her for that more than anything. She keeps talking about being a fashion designer someday. I fully think she's going to accomplish that. She'll have her own company and she'll be formidable as the head of that company. I can't wait to see it!" Niall says, feeling almost giddy just thinking about it.

"I agree with you there. She's going to be formidable no matter what her job is," Harry murmured "What about the twins?"

"Charlie and Matty. They stole a piece of my heart for themselves the very moment they came into our lives. I tried not to let it happen because we weren't supposed to keep them. It was only supposed to be temporary. I couldn't stop it, though. They came into our house, so small and innocent. They didn't know what was going on. They needed someone to love them and how could I not when they look at me the way they do? When they smile at me so openly and so trusting? They're the sweetest little boys. They make my heart melt at least five times a day," Niall chuckled "So many things make them special but I think their bond is what stands out the most. The way they protect each other and always pick each other up when one of them is down. I've never seen a bond like that before. It's incredible."

"It is. They're so smart, too. We should get them tested, find out their IQ. Sometimes they say or do things that surprise me so much I can't move for a second." Harry says.

Niall hums and stands up from Harry's lap so he can look down at his little girl fast asleep in her cot "We can ask their teachers about it maybe."

"I don't want to go home. Can we stay here until Ryanne is discharged?" Harry came to stand next to Niall and looked down at Ryanne with a pout.

"Probably," Niall shrugged.

"Let's do that then. We can doze right here in our chairs. We don't need proper sleep. I don't want to leave her here while we go home. I know she'll be fine but I don't want to leave her here," Harry whined.

"Alright," Niall laughed and pulled Harry into his side "We'll stay here until she can come home with us."

  
~~~

  
Ozzy was busy taking a long, hot shower when Finn surprised him. Since Kara is back in London and can take care of Jacob, Ozzy doesn't have to rush through things anymore and he was taking full advantage of that when the shower door opened and he jumped back, nearly slipping and falling flat on his ass. The only reason he didn't is because Finn grabbed him and pulled him forward, securing him against his body by wrapping his arms around his back.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Ozzy gasped, trying to return his heart rate to normal.

"Sorry," Finn winced "In hindsight I should have called out to let you know I was here first. You could have cracked your head open. I'm so sorry."

Ozzy took in some deep breaths and ran his hands up over Finn's forearms, over his biceps, until they were resting on his broad, muscular shoulders "It's okay. Yes, probably call out next time but it doesn't matter now. I'm happy to see you."

"Me too. Don't really want to talk right now. That okay with you?" Finn asked him, his eyes burning with intensity.

Was that okay with him? Of course it was okay with him! "Yes. That's okay with me. What did you have in mind?"

"This for starters," Finn leaned down and kissed him, wasting no time slipping his tongue passed Ozzy's lips. Ozzy moaned when their tongues met and slid his arms up around Finn's neck so he could get as close to him as possible. Their wet chests were pressed together and his hardening cock brushed against Finn's own interested cock, making the both of them moan and gasp into each other's mouths.

"God," Ozzy threw his head back when Finn moved to his neck and started kissing and sucking at his skin "This-fuck baby- this is the best surprise I've had in awhile.

One of Finn's hands moved down between them to take both of their cocks in his hand and Ozzy could feel his grin against his neck "I can tell."

Ozzy laughed and brought his head back up so he could face Finn again. He pulled him into another hot kiss and sent them both crashing back against the wall of the shower. They both giggled into each other's mouths for a minute, then Finn started to move his hand, jerking both of their cocks and making them slide together perfectly.

They began kissing again but as Finn's hand picked up speed and pleasure started coursing through their bodies, the kissing turned into panting into each other's mouths. Finn's hand kept picking up speed and he knew exactly how to twist and squeeze his hand to bring him over the edge. He came with a muffled shout against Finn's shoulder and Finn wasn't far behind once Ozzy grabbed his ass in his hands and sunk his teeth into his shoulder.

"Fuck," Finn rested his forehead against Ozzy's shoulder while he tried to catch his breath. Ozzy was breathing heavily, too, and all he could do for a moment was run his hand up and down over Finn's wet back while he waited for his legs to stop feeling like jelly. "I think every time we get off together is better than the last time."

Ozzy laughed and nuzzled his face against Finn's neck, kissing his cheek a few times "I agree. You're quite amazing."

Finn finally stood up straight and moved back from Ozzy, reaching over for the soap. They took turns washing each other , stealing kisses and giggling like kids. By the time they were down and stepping out of the shower, they were both full on laughing and neither one of them knew why.

"Come on. I want to show you something," Finn grabbed his hand once they had their towels secured around their waists, and led him out into the bedroom where he had thrown his clothes on Ozzy's bed. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled his phone out, motioning for Ozzy to sit next to him on the bed. "My Dad sent this early this morning."

Ozzy took the phone and looked at the picture of the obviously newborn baby. He knew Harry and Niall's surrogate went into labour the night before, that's why Finn couldn't spend the night like he had planned, but he hadn't had a chance to ask Finn if his sister had been born yet since they pretty much started getting off the moment Finn stepped into his shower.

"This is your sister? Everything went alright with the birth?" Ozzy asked with a huge smile on his face as he swiped through the pictures.

"Yes," Finn leaned in and rested his chin on Ozzy's shoulder "Ryanne Jessica Horan."

"Ryanne is an Irish name right?" Finn nodded "She's beautiful, Finn. Your parents must be so excited to have another baby."

"They are. They love babies. I can't wait to meet her. I was going to go to the hospital after I dropped the twins at school but Dad texted me and said she'd be coming home this afternoon. Rory and Anna are coming over so we'll all meet her then," Finn explained.

Ozzy turned his head so he could watch Finn as he went through the pictures. The smile on his face was so sweet, it made Ozzy think about marrying Finn and having babies with him and not years in the future. Right now. It made his heart beat faster and his hands sweat a bit. He really wasn't expecting to feel this way and settle down until maybe his thirties when Jacob is a teenager. The fact that he wanted it right now, when he wasn't quite twenty-three yet was scary but not as scary as he would have thought.

"Well," Ozzy cleared his throat "I expect lots of pictures later. Make sure someone takes pictures with you holding her. I want to see."

"I will," Finn grinned as he stood up to start putting his clothes back on "I want you to come meet her soon. It's just our family today but I'm sure next week you'll be able to come over and see her."

"Sure thing, baby," Ozzy dropped his towel and grabbed a pair of boxers from his drawer to put on. He pulled on a pair of joggers and a sweatshirt afterward, then ran his towel over his wet hair to dry it a bit "I'd love to meet her. I love babies."

They left to head downstairs once they were finished dressing, not sure on their plans for the day yet. They both already had breakfast and Kara had taken Jacob out. To be honest, Ozzy would be okay with watching a film while wrapped up in Finn's arms then maybe he could convince Finn to fuck him later before he leaves.

His phone starts ringing once they enter the living room and he takes it out of his pocket, frowning when he sees it's his sister. It's only five in the morning in New York. She shouldn't be awake yet.

"Rach? What's going on? Why are you awake so early?" Ozzy asks when he answers the phone. His heart is beating rapidly and he feels sick to his stomach with fear. Did something happen to one of the kids? Her husband? Their mother?

"Everything is fine, Oz," His sister's soft voice filled the line, a hint of amusement there "Calm your tits."

"Oh thank God," Ozzy blew out a breath and gave Finn a look filled with relief. "You scared the shit out of me! Why are you up so early?"

"I'm up so early because I'm an idiot," Rachel scoffed "We're having an unusually cold April. There was some ice in the driveway and I slipped and sprained my ankle pretty badly last night. I can't sleep because it's throbbing so I decided to bug my little brother since it's already after ten in London."

"Well I'm glad you did," Ozzy laughed "I love hearing from you. Hey Rach? Hold on a second will you?"

Ozzy held the phone against his chest and looked at Finn "I know this is out of nowhere but...do you think you might want to talk to my sister? You haven't met her yet. I could hang up and call her back on FaceTime.

"Sure! Yes! I'd love to meet your sister. Go ahead and set it up," Finn smiles and runs a hand over Ozzy's thigh reassuringly.

"Thank you!" Ozzy quickly kissed Finn then brought the phone back to his ear "Rach? Yeah. Listen, can I call you right back on FaceTime? Finn is here. I want you to meet him."

"Really Ozzy? At five in the morning when I look like crap? Are you trying to scare him away?"

Ozzy snorted and shook his head fondly at his sister "Doubt that would happen. He's only got eyes for me. He doesn't care what you look like."

"Oh Jesus Christ! Listen to you! 'he only has eyes for me' oh my God!" His sister cackled "You giant sap!"

"Oh fuck off and hang up the phone! I'll call you in a minute," Ozzy said grumpily then hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Finn looked at him with a look of amusement on his face.

"She was saying she wasn't fit to FaceTime so early in the morning," Ozzy rolled his eyes "I told her you only have eyes for me."

"That's true," Finn kissed his cheek sweetly.

"I know," Ozzy pecked his lips quickly "Are you ready?"

"Yes!" Finn laughed and shoved at him playfully "Make the call."

Ozzy picked up his I-pad from the table and put in the call to his sister. When she appeared on the screen, it looked like she was in the living room on the couch with pillows propped up behind her.

"Well hello there Finnegan Horan, Soccer extraordinaire," Rachel smiled into the camera "Its nice to finally, sort of, meet you."

"Hello. It's lovely to sort of meet you, too," Finn said, looking quite amused. Ozzy couldn't blame him really. His sister was a loud, vibrant personality when she wanted to be and judging by the look on her face, this is going to be an interesting conversation.

"I have to admit, I've seen some of your soccer matches since Ozzy told me about you. I unequivocally can say I had no fucking clue what was going on the whole time. There's too many rules in soccer and the refs are very distracting. What's up with them anyway? Over here you go to a baseball game and the umpires are fat and sixty years old. In soccer the refs are quite young and run around in their little shorts with their socks and their colourful cards they pull out of their pockets and shove in people's faces." Rachel started, making Ozzy groan because she might never shut up when she gets like this.

"Oh and the players! When they fall over, for some reason they think it's okay to pull some other guys shorts down or smack him in the balls. That shouldn't happen. A mans balls should be sacred territory." Rachel said, a very matter of fact look on her face.

Finn burst out laughing when she finished talking, gasping for breath and holding his side after awhile "Oh my God! You get right to it, don't you? You and my Dad would get along perfectly."

"Which Dad?" Rachel asked, narrowing her eyes.

"The Irish one," Ozzy answered for Finn, shaking his head at his sister.

"Ohhhh. He's dreamy. Totally had a crush on him when I was a teenager. I wanted to move to England and live with Narry "

" _What_?" Ozzy sat forward abruptly, nearly dropping the I-pad on the floor. "You never told me that!"

"Well how could I? When I met Harry at 'The Voice' you told me to behave myself. I couldn't very well announce to him that I think his husband is hot. You would have killed me. If not for that I would have told him, to be honest." Rachel admitted, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Oh my God," Ozzy groaned and covered his face with his hands "So you actually behave and don't embarrass me there but you embarrass me now in front of my boyfriend."

Finn managed to cut his laughter back to just giggles and wrapped an arm around Ozzy's shoulders "Nothing to be embarrassed about, love."

"See? Nothing to be embarrassed about," Rachel told Ozzy. She pressed her lips together like she was trying to hold back a huge grin and all Ozzy could do is make an exasperated sound before he shook his head and started laughing himself.

"Why do I get the feeling you two will be ganging up on me from now on?"

"Because we probably will. Text me your number, Finn. We'll keep in touch. I can tell you hundreds of stories about my brother," Rachel laughed again.

"I look forward to it. I look forward to meeting you in person as well. Hopefully I can go over to New York sometime this Summer. If Ozzy wants me to," Finn said, turning to look at Ozzy with a shy smile.

"I definitely want you to. There's a few people I'd like you to meet," Ozzy assured Finn.

"Well aren't you two the sweetest couple," Rachel cooed "You should see the goofy smiles on your faces when you look at each other. It's disgusting."

Ozzy stuck his tongue out at her, which only caused more laughter, then the three of them settled in and talked for two hours, only stopping when Rachel had to wake her kids up for school.

Later, when Finn left to go home and meet his new sister, he called her again to find out what she thought of Finn.

"I think you're head over heels in love with him and you should tell him soon because it's written all over your face. The minute your relationship becomes public knowledge, everyone is going to see it so it would be a good idea if you actually told him first," Rachel said, a fond look on her face.

"I know," Ozzy said softly, pulling his knees up to his chin "I'll tell him soon. You liked him, right?"

"I loved him. He's perfect for you, Oz. He's charming, smart, quick witted. He's also kind and has a strong sense of family, something I know is important to you. Listening to him talk about his siblings, especially the new baby that was born today, was pretty amazing. I'm pretty sure I'm half in love with him myself. You should hold on to him tight or else I might have to leave my husband for him."

"He really is something else, isn't he? I'm so lucky I met him and so lucky he sees something in me that makes him want to be with me,"

"Stop that!" His sister scolded him "You are a great catch, little brother. Sure, everything didn't go smoothly in your childhood. There were some ups but more downs for awhile. You got through that, though. You worked hard and made something of yourself and now you're a famous singer with a hit album and millions of dollars. You worked your ass off for all of it and I admire you like nobody's business. I guarantee Finn does too."

"You think so?"

"I know it, Ozzy. If you could just see the way he looks at you when you're not looking, you'd know it too."

Ozzy talked with his sister for a few more minutes. Kara came home with Jacob and he talked to her for two minutes, then he spent the rest of the day playing with his son while trying to think of the right way to tell Finn how he feels.

  
~~~

  
Finn picked his brother's up from school for his parents and spent ten minutes talking to them before he started driving, letting them know they would be able to meet Ryanne when they got home but they had to be quiet so they don't wake her up and startle her. The twins listened to him with wide eyes and very serious faces, promising him they wouldn't run in the house screaming like they usually do.

Finn got into the drivers seat and smiled to himself as he looked at his brother's through the rear view mirror. They were so sweet and adorable, they were always happy and smiling- he really considered himself lucky he gets to have them as his brothers.

Once he pulled out into traffic, the twins wanted some music on and of course they wanted to listen to their Pop so Finn found his Pop's very first album (the twins favourite because it had a lot of pop music on it) and turned it up loud. Immediately the twins shrieked and started singing along, their legs kicking at the seat beneath them. Finn laughed and sang along with them, singing until they reached the gate to their driveway and Finn pressed in the security code. Once they were in and Finn parked the car, he helped the twins out of their car seats and followed behind them up to the front door.

"Alright. Are you ready?" Finn asked them as he opened the door with his key. The twins nodded then they all walked inside, taking their shoes and jackets off then heading for the living room to see if their parents were in there with Ryanne.

"Well hello!" His Pop was sitting on the couch when they walked in, typing something on his phone. He looked up and smiled at them "How was school today?"

The twins ran over to him and practically climbed on top of him to hug him. He laughed and wrapped his arms around both of them, kissing the tops of both of their heads.

"School was good, Papa!" Matty answered him.

"Yeah!" Charlie joined in "Finny said we would have a new sister today. We drawed pictures for her."

"You drew pictures, baby," Their Pop chuckled.

Charlie let out an exasperated huff "That's what I said, Papa!"

"Where's our new little sister?" Matty asked, his eyes wide "Is she home yet?"

"Yes, she is. Daddy has her upstairs to change her nappy. He'll be down in a minute," His Pop told the twins. He had one twin cuddled into each side of him while he ran his fingers through their hair.

"Nori and Kate not home yet?" Finn asked, taking a seat on the love seat.

"Not yet. Probably any minute now, though. You know how Nori has to chat with all her friends before she leaves," His Pop laughed. "Hey. Thanks for all your help last night and today. We were able to concentrate on Ryanne being born without having to worry about our other kids."

"I was happy to do it. I love hanging out with the twins. We did some serious singing on the way home just now. The best of Harry Styles." Finn smirked at his Pop. "I do believe they know all the words to your first album."

"You were singing my songs in the car?" His Pop asked the twins with a huge smile on his face "I bet you were even better than me."

The twins giggled and hid their faces in their Pop's shirt, suddenly becoming shy when complimented. Finn watched on fondly until he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to see his Dad walk into the room with a tiny little pink bundle in his arms.

"My boys are home!" His Dad cheered quietly "Good! I missed you all and there's also a new little girl who wants to meet her new brothers."

The twins both stood up and started bouncing on their feet, staring at the little bundle in their Dad's arms and trying to get a better look "Can I hold her, Daddy?" Matty asked with a serious look on his face. "I promise I'll be careful."

"I know you will, little munchkin. Do you want to hold her together?" The twins both nodded vigorously, making the three adults in the room laugh "Okay then. Both of you sit together on the couch. Sit all the way back so your back is touching the back of the couch." The twins did everything he asked then his Dad walked over and placed the baby across both their laps "Put your hand under her head, Matty. That's good. Just like that. We have to make sure her neck is supported."

While Matty held his hand under her head and stared down at her like she was going to break, Charlie picked up one of her little hands and looked at her tiny fingers in awe. Finn jumped up and got his phone out, taking tons of pictures he'd send to his parents later. He got one of the twins looking up at the camera and smiling, he got one of them kissing her head and playing with her hands, and he also got one of his Dad and Pop sitting on either side of the twins with their arms across the back of the couch.

"I think maybe it's Finn's turn." His Dad said after awhile "Come get her, Bub. We want to get pictures of you and her together."

Finn smiled and put his phone back in his pocket, then he reached down and carefully lifted his sister off the twins lap. He settled her in the crook of his arm and when the twins moved over, he sat down on the couch between them.

"She's perfect," He whispered as his eyes took in every inch of her face. She definitely looked a bit like Nori's baby pictures but there were some differences. Her hair was lighter, she had longer eyelashes and she had a little dimple in her chin. "What colour eyes does the surrogate have? It'll be interesting to see if she has green eyes like you and Nori, Pop."

"Her eyes are brown actually. Maybe we'll have our first brown eyed child," His Pop shrugged.

"She'll be beautiful either way," Finn leaned down to kiss the top of her head. When she made a little snuffling noise, he lifted her up in front of his face and kissed the soft skin on her cheek multiple times. That made her make even more little noises, which had everyone in the room giggling.

"I think she loves her big brother already," His Dad said from in front of him where he was standing with his phone, recording the whole thing "I'll send you this video, Bub. You're a natural."

"I better be! What with all the practice I've had with your kids and Rory's." Finn scoffed.

The front door opened then and Nori and Kate walked in followed by Rory and Anna. Finn could have kept Ryanne in his arms all night but he knew everyone else wanted to hold her so he gave her up for the time being but he had plans to steal her later and keep her in his room.

While Rory, Anna, Kate and Nori have their turn with her, Finn sits in an armchair and texts all the photos he took to Ozzy, including the video his Dad took.

Twenty minutes later, Ozzy replied with ten heart emoji's.

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter! Thank to everyone for understanding how busy I am this time of the year and that because of that I'd be slower at updating. If I don't get a chance to update again before Christmas, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and I hope everyone is well.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think :)

 

 

**May 2043**

 

  
Harry was in a seriously bad mood and now he's gone and made it worse by pissing himself off.

The X Factor auditions are starting up and the first stop is Manchester. It's the first time leaving his one month old daughter and he's seriously in a bad mood about it even though he'll only be gone for two days. To make things worse, he got about half an hour away from his house when he realized he forgot his phone and he had to tell the driver to turn around and go back.

Once the car pulls up in front of his house, he tells the driver he'll only be a minute, then he runs up the stairs to the front door and let's himself into the empty house to find his phone.

Only the house isn't empty. He hears low voices coming from the living room and heads in that direction. The kids were in school, Finn was at practice and Niall left to take Ryanne to visit Gemma at the same time Harry left for Manchester. He wouldn't be home already. Unless Ryanne got fussy in the car and he decided to turn back and come home.

He was worried for a moment that maybe something was wrong with Ryanne but as soon as he turned the corner all those thoughts were obliterated. He stood in the doorway for a moment, unable to think or even breathe as he saw what was going on in front of him.

His son. His _son_  was sitting on his couch with a boy on his lap and they were snogging like they both knew the world was going to end tomorrow. Not just any boy either. No. _Ozzy_ was sitting on his son's lap, with his hands all over him and his tongue down his throat. Ozzy. The boy he's treated like a son for the past three and a half years. The boy he took under his wing and showed him everything he needed to know about the music business. The boy he freely invited into his home and pretty much into his family.

Harry's chest grew tight and he could feel a sob bubbling up in his throat. As quietly as he could, he walked back down the hallway and toward the door, stepping outside before he did something really, really stupid.

Once he was outside, he shakily sat down on the steps to try and get his breathing back to normal. His hands were shaking, his forehead was sweating, and his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest. He couldn't get back in the car like that. Sure, these drivers were paid to be discreet but he still didn't want some stranger listening to him crying and having a panic attack in the back seat.

Over the next five minutes, Harry sat with his head between his legs, sucking in air until he felt his hands stop shaking and his heart rate return to normal. When he finally sat upright again, he wiped the stray tears from his cheeks, ran a hand through his hair, then took a deep breath before he stood up and walked down the stairs to the waiting car on shaky legs.

"Sorry that took longer than I thought," Harry murmured as he slid into the backseat and closed the door behind him "I'm good now."

"No worries, Mr. Styles-Horan. I was asked by Mr. Cowell to get you to the hotel by dinner time so you'd have time to settle in. We will make it in plenty of time, even with traffic," The driver says kindly.

"Thank you," Harry thanked the driver then slid down in the seat and folded his arms over his chest. He focused his gaze out the window, staring at the buildings as they pass by. He doesn't actually take anything in though. All he can see is his son, sitting on his couch, in his living room, with Ozzy Peters on his lap.

Of course thinking about it only made his heart rate go up again so he had to try his best to think about something else. He texted back and forth with Eric for a few minutes, Eric asking him to meet with him and the other judges for dinner at seven o'clock. He tells Eric he'll be there then he answers a few texts from Louis, replies to some e-mails and goes through his photo album several times, staring at photos of Ryanne. She's so sweet and precious. Just looking at her pictures makes him feel a bit calmer.

When they eventually pulled up to the hotel, he grabbed his overnight bag, quickly got the key to his room, and headed straight up to the sixth floor so he could lock himself in his room for a few hours. Once he gets into the room, he drops his bag on the floor and sinks down onto the bed with his hands in his hair while rocking slightly back and forth.

He didn't know what to do. He was completely thrown for a loop. The only thing he knew for sure was he wasn't telling Niall about this. Not yet. He couldn't do that over the phone and he needed some time to wrap his brain around it all before he told his husband.

No, he wasn't telling Niall yet but he did need to talk to his husband. Hearing Niall's voice would calm him down, make him feel better, give him the strength he needed to get through dinner tonight and a full day of auditions tomorrow. Niall was his rock. Has been for over twenty-five years now. He never let Harry down when he needed him and Harry was counting on that now as he got his phone out of his pocket and tapped on Niall's name.

"Hi Darlin'" Niall answered on the third ring.

Harry immediately heard the noise in the background. The twins talking over each other, Kate talking over _them_ , and Nori screaming at them to all be quiet or she wasn't taking anyone anywhere. It sounded chaotic and Harry was homesick immediately.

"Hi," He spoke softly into the phone "What's all that about in the background?"

There's a long pause then there's a rustling noise and Niall's muffled voice asking Nori to keep an eye on the kids so he could take a phone call. When the rustling stopped and Niall's voice filled the line again, everything was silent. He must have gone into another room.

"That was Nori telling our other dear children she wouldn't be taking them for ice cream if they didn't shut up long enough to finish watching whatever show she's watching on the telly," Niall explains, the amusement clear in his voice.

"Sounds like our brood," Harry chuckled into the phone. He wished he was there to hear them arguing in person.

"Me and Ryanne are upstairs in our bedroom now. Nori is watching the twins," Niall said "Now tell me what's wrong."

"Wrong?" Harry's eyebrows shot up. Of course Niall could tell there was something wrong. He knew Harry better than anyone. Thankfully there's more wrong than just seeing Finn with Ozzy. He misses his children like crazy so he had something to tell Niall without lying.

"Yes," Niall says slowly "I can hear it in your voice. What's wrong?"

Harry sighed and flopped back onto the bed, bouncing a few times before becoming still again "I'm going to FaceTime. I want to see you and Ryanne."

Niall hummed in agreement then they both hung up and Harry quickly called back on FaceTime.

"Hiiiii Papa!" Niall answered with the camera pointed at Ryanne. She was wide awake, her bright blue eyes framed by her long eyelashes. They were truly beautiful. Harry knew her eyes could still change colour in the coming months but he hoped they didn't. The colour was very similar to Niall's and he'd like for her to keep that. Even though Niall isn't her biological father, she could still have a trait similar to his.

"Hiiii," Harry smiled into the camera, his dimples deepening in his cheeks "How's my baby girl? She kind of looks like a Care Bear in that yellow onesie with a picture of the sun on it."

Niall broke out into loud, cackling laughter and Harry watched on, giggling when Ryanne reacts to her Daddy laughing. She was a bit startled at first but now she was looking around and squirming in her bassinet, trying to see where the noise came from.

"She does, doesn't she?" Niall said through his laughter "Kate will love that when I tell her. The Care Bears were her favourite after all."

"Yeah," Harry smiled fondly until Niall turned the phone away from their daughter and pointed it at his own face. He knew he had to talk now "I miss her. I miss all our kids. I miss _you_. I've only been gone a few hours. How did I survive my tours?"

Niall smiled sympathetically through the camera and Harry wished so bad that he could be in their bedroom in his arms. "I know darlin'. You haven't been away from us hardly at all since you did 'The Voice' and that was three and a half years ago. You're used to being home. I think that's why it's hitting you so hard this time. You won't be gone for anymore than two or three days at a time while doing the auditions though. It'll get better. You know you can call me anytime you want."

"You mean the world to me, you know? God- you've gotten me through so much over the years. What would I do without you, Niall? Really. What?" Harry asks.

Harry hates to think of ever living without Niall. That's why he selfishly hopes he dies first so he doesn't have to experience it. Of course he felt so guilty about it, he broke down and told Niall and he laughed for ten minutes and said he had thought the same thing once or twice. So now Harry hopes they both die together in their sleep. Preferably when they're a hundred.

"I keep telling you you'd be fine without me. You're strong, Harry. When you have to be, you're strong. Remember when Kate broke her arm and the bone was sticking out through the skin? You were calm and stayed with her the whole time. I was hysterical and demanding they pump her full of drugs so she wasn't in pain. Finally the nurse very politely told me if they gave her more pain meds it would kill her. That shut me up," Niall laughed at the memory.

"You were so cute. Seriously. Pacing around with your hair stuck up and muttering under your breath," Harry smiled fondly, then laughed when Niall screwed up his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm cute, I get it," Niall rolled his eyes "Anyway. You'll be fine, darlin'. I know you will. Call me tonight when you get in bed. We'll talk until we fall asleep. We can do other things, too, if you want but we don't have to. We can just talk. Whatever you want."

"Okay," Harry smiled softly "I definitely want to talk to you before I go to sleep. If I can't sleep beside you then I want your voice to be the last thing I hear before I fall asleep."

"Then that's what you'll get. I always knew you were hot for my Irish accent," Niall teased, deliberately making his accent stronger.

Harry barked out a loud, unflattering laugh which made Niall start cackling again "I love you, Ni. I love you, I love you, I love you."

"I love you, too, H," Niall said as his laughter tapered off. His cheeks were rosy red from laughing, his eyes were sparkling blue and his smile could light up a room. He was gorgeous.

"I've got time to talk to the kids before I have to get a shower before heading to dinner with the other judges. Are they still home?" Harry asked.

Niall stood up and made sure Ryanne was happy and content in her bassinet, then he headed back downstairs where Harry immediately heard the noise. "I think it's safe to say they're still home, H," Niall laughed "I'll hand them the phone. Call me tonight. I love you."

"Love you," Harry smiled at his husband one last time before Niall handed off the phone to Nori and he spent the next half an hour talking to his kids.

  
~~~

  
Harry was extremely busy over the next two days. Audition days were long and sometimes they made you want to pull your hair out when singer after singer after singer disappoints. There's always the spectacular ones that make it better, though. The ones that have everything from an amazing voice to a personality that catches people's attention right away.

There had been a couple of people so far that caught his eye and had him standing on his feet. He gave them an emphatic yes and couldn't wait to see what they could do in the next round. Of course they reminded him of Ozzy, which made things difficult. They didn't look like him or sing like him but they had that 'it' factor or 'x' factor, if you will, that drew people to them immediately and it made his heart ache because he loved Ozzy. He thought of him like a son. He had the best time with him on 'The Voice' and working on his albums. Now that was all gone. Harry didn't know if he'd ever be able to forgive him for what he's done.

After the auditions were done in Manchester, he headed home, exhausted from little sleep. He wanted to climb right into bed, preferably with Niall, but he knew that wouldn't be happening unless Ryanne was taking a nap. They could always cuddle on the couch at least.

When he walked into the house, everything was quiet. Not surprising since the kids were all in school. He knew Niall was home because his car was in the driveway and that meant Ryanne was here too so he went in search of them only to find Finn curled up into the corner of the couch with his I-pad. Harry could see that IBooks was opened so he must have been reading a book before he evidently fell asleep. His elbow was propped up on the arm of the couch and his head was propped up by his hand.

"Finnegan..." Harry whispered as he walked into the room and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch. He gently took the I-pad from him and laid it on the table, then he covered his son in the blanket, letting the back of his hand brush against his cheek "Why? Why Ozzy? Why not someone else?"

Harry wasn't expecting an answer. Finn was fast asleep, looking peaceful and...happy. He looked happy and Harry knew there was no way that could last. Knows the obstacles facing Finn and Ozzy were almost insurmountable. The industry Harry and Ozzy were apart of was unforgiving and cruel sometimes. It has ruined so many relationships. It didn't ruin his relationship with Niall but that didn't stop Harry from worrying about it and feeling guilty sometimes for all the shit Niall has had to put up with. He knew what was facing Finn if he stayed in a relationship with Ozzy and it wasn't good.

What really got him mad was the fact that Ozzy knew it too. He lives in New York, he goes on tour, he has other commitments. He knows he'll never be in London. He knows all the guilt Harry has felt for the shit Niall has had to go through. They talked about it before. Yet he went after Harry's son anyway. He lured him in and now Finn looks happy. He let Finn fall for him when he won't even be around soon enough. It was infuriating and Harry would never forgive him for it.

Sighing, Harry stood up and quietly walked out of the living room. He checked the kitchen and the other rooms downstairs and there was no sign of Niall so he was about to head upstairs when he heard Niall's laughter from outside. When Harry looked out the window of Niall's office, he saw Niall sitting in the sunshine outside, Ryanne's bassinet shaded by an umbrella. Harry walked out of the office with a smile on his face and headed for the French doors in the kitchen that led outside to the pool and backyard. When he stepped outside, he walked over to Niall, the smile on his face getting wider.

"Hey," Harry spoke softly, laughing when Niall's head popped up from where he was looking down at his phone.

"Harry!" Niall jumped up and flung himself at Harry, his happy laughter sounding in Harry's ear "Hi darlin'"

"Hello lovely," Harry kissed his jaw right below his ear and hugged him tight "I missed you."

"Missed you, too," Niall said into his ear then he kissed his cheek twice before pulling back "Are you tired? You woke up early this morning to get back here."

"I wanted to get home as soon as possible. I missed all of you and babies change so much everyday. I don't want to miss anymore than I have to," Harry squeezed Niall's arm as he walked by him toward Ryanne's bassinet. When he got there he saw she was awake and wasted no time picking her up and kissing all over her face "How's our girl today?"

"She's perfect," Niall came up behind Harry and rested his chin on Harry's shoulder so he could make faces at Ryanne. One of his hands was resting gently on the small of his back "She's a really happy baby. Doesn't cry very much, does she? We've been lucky with our kids, haven't we? Such happy babies. Charlie had colic but he got past it. We're pretty fucking blessed."

"We are," Harry said softly while cupping the back of Ryanne's head and swaying them back and forth "I like to think part of that is that we're good parents. We're not perfect but we do the best we can."

"Yeah. I think our kids are all pretty happy so we must be doing something right," Niall says as he rubs slow circles over Harry's back.

"You're a really wonderful father you know? You stepped up and did double the work whenever I was on tour. Our Mum's would help and we had a nanny but we only used her when absolutely necessary. You did everything. We're all so lucky to have you. I hope we've done everything we can to make sure you know that," Harry says, turning around so he could look Niall in the eye while he said it.

"You do. Everyday. All of you. I love you all so much for it. I'm treated like a King in this house," Niall joked.

"King Niall! Too bad Ireland doesn't have a King. You'd be a shoo in!" Harry laughs happily.

Niall laughed along with him, then they sat down in the sun again, soaking up the hot May sunshine. They sat in chairs side by side, their fingers linked together while their daughter took a nap in her bassinet that was placed in the shade.

Later, once all the kids were home, Harry was busy being a Father which helped to keep his mind off the Finn/Ozzy situation. He still didn't know what he was going to do, not completely, and he needed a break from thinking about it.

Niall helped distract him when they went to bed that night, by climbing on top of him and kissing and running his hands over every inch of Harry's body. He was slow and methodical, working Harry up until he was begging for it. He covered Harry's body with his own so that they were touching everywhere while he thrust inside him at a steady pace until they were both coming, the sound of their moans swallowed up by their kisses.

He was able to sleep good that night, safe and sound in his husbands arms but before he drifted off, he made an important decision. Tomorrow he was going to see Ozzy.

  
~~~

  
Ozzy had only been awake for five minutes, wasn't even out of bed yet and he was already cackling with laughter. When he reached for his phone to see what time it was, there were a couple of selfies waiting for him from his big dork of a boyfriend.

In the first one, he had clearly just woken up because he was still in his bed with the duvet pulled up to his nose so that only his eyes could be seen and he had a very mischievous look in his eyes. He was such a dork and he was so adorable. Ozzy really wanted to wake up to that face every morning. It should be scary after dating someone for only three months but it wasn't. He guesses it's true what they say- when you know, you know.

In the second one, Finn is laying on the grass somewhere, with the sun rising behind him. He must have been out for a run earlier this morning when he took it. He was clearly laughing in the picture and Ozzy figures it has something to do with the caption that simply said "just fell over"

Once his cackling laughter calmed down to a giggle he texted his boyfriend to ask how he managed to fall over. Finn texted him back right away, telling him another runner lost their dog and he stopped to help her catch him but the dog was just so excited to be free he wiped him out. Took his legs right out from under him.

That piece of information had Ozzy cackling with laughter again, until Jacob pushed the door open and walked in with rumpled pajama's on and some seriously messed up bed head.

"What you laughing at, Papa?" He asked sleepily while rubbing his eyes with his fists.

Ozzy smiled and reached over the side of the bed to pick his son up. Jacob crawled under the duvet and cuddled into his side. "I'm laughing at Finny," Ozzy showed Jacob the pictures, his heart warming at the sound of his son's giggles.

"Finny is funny, Papa," Jacob said through his giggles while hiding half his face against Ozzy's arm.

"He's very funny," Ozzy agreed "He makes me laugh all the time."

Jacob is quiet for a bit and Ozzy thinks he fell back to sleep until he speaks up again "Papa? I love Finny. He's very nice."

Ozzy stilled completely and held his breath for a second before letting it out slowly. He was not expecting that. He knew Jacob really liked Finn. They had a lot of fun together and Ozzy has caught the two of them giggling together more than once. He didn't realize Jacob loved him though and for a moment he started to worry about his own judgement. He hasn't even told Finn yet that he's in love with him. He can't know for sure what will happen now that he's done with his album and will have to go back to New York at any time. Should he have let his son get so close to Finn? He knew Finn would never hurt him on purpose but things happen everyday that you just can't control.

On the other hand, Ozzy wouldn't trade getting to see Finn and his son interact all the time for anything. Finn is amazing with him. He treats him like he's his own son. They play together, laugh together, sing together, read stories together- they do everything together that a father does with his son and the way Finn is with Jacob is one of the many reasons Ozzy has fallen in love with him. Could he really ever regret that? Even if things don't work out for them? Could he really regret letting his son get to know such an amazing person? No. No matter what happens, he'll never regret anything.

"You love Finny?" Ozzy put his phone down and lifted his son up so that he was laying on his chest like a koala "Can I tell you a secret?" Jacob looked at Ozzy with wide eyes and nodded "I love Finny, too."

"You do?" Jacob's face brightened up and his smile was huge, "Like Finny's Daddy and Papa love each other? Are you gonna get married?"

Ozzy nearly choked on his own spit, his eyes growing wide as he struggled to figure out what to say. He hasn't even told Jacob he's dating Finn. Apparently they haven't been as subtle as they thought if Jacob immediately jumped to marriage when Ozzy admitted to loving Finn too.

"Um. Well. We're not going to get married, no. We haven't known each other for very long. I do love him very much though," Ozzy admitted. He couldn't keep it from Jacob any longer. He is a very observant child and clearly already picked up on Ozzy's feelings for Finn. It was probably time to have a conversation with Finn about coming out as a couple, at least to their families and the rest of their friends. They had three months of just having each other to themselves but now it was time to face the music. He could only hope Finn's parents are okay with it.

Jacob nodded and rolled off of Ozzy and onto the bed. He was satisfied with Ozzy's answer it seemed, and like most kids who have a short attention span, it was time to move on to another topic.

"Papa is getting up now, okay Jakey? You wait here while I use the bathroom then we'll go downstairs and get some breakfast." Ozzy told his son, then he got out of bed, stretched, and went into the bathroom to pee and wash his face. Once he came out, he quickly dressed in a sweater and joggers then he picked his son up and they happily went downstairs where Kara was just making coffee.

The three of them had a leisurely breakfast, then because it was a nice day and Jacob was obsessed with the zoo here, they decided to take the little boy after he practically begged to go.

Everybody got dressed appropriately and were on the way out the door when Harry showed up.

"Hi Harry!!!" Jacob yelled while bouncing up and down on his feet "We going to the zoo! Want to come?"

Harry bent down to Jacob's level and gave him a high five, then ruffled his hair, making the little boy giggle "I can't make it today, love. I've just come to talk to your Papa for a minute." Then Harry looked up at Ozzy "It's important."

Ozzy raised an eyebrow and he and Kara shared a confused look. Neither one of them knew what this could be about but Harry seemed deadly serious and that worried Ozzy. It really worried him.

"Sure, Harry," Ozzy said to the older man before turning back to Kara "Could you go on ahead with Jacob? The car I ordered is here so just use that. I'll call another car when I'm done here."

"Sure. That sounds good," Kara said but her expression and her tone made it very clear that she was just as worried as Ozzy. She doesn't know Harry well but the expression on his face isn't hard to interpret.

"I'll meet you soon, okay Jakey?" Ozzy crouched down to hug his son.

"Okay Papa! Bye! Come on Kara!" The little boy took his nanny's hand and dragged her toward the car. Ozzy chuckled at the sight but stopped immediately when he looked at Harry and Harry wasn't laughing.

"Let's go inside then," Ozzy said after he cleared his throat "Do you want something to drink?"

"No," Harry answered as he followed Ozzy into the house. He didn't bother taking off his shoes or jacket.

"Okay," Ozzy drew the word out a bit "What's going on?"

Harry clenched his jaw for a minute and stared at Ozzy without speaking. It was awkward and quite frankly it was making Ozzy uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to speak but Harry beat him to it.

"I went to Manchester for auditions a couple of days ago. I hate leaving my kids, especially Ryanne since she's only a month old. Understandably I was a bit absentminded and I realized while in the car that I forgot my phone. I had the driver turn back so I could get it and when I walked into my house, there you were, sitting on my son's lap with your tongue down his throat."

Ozzy's eyes widened and his heart started to beat wildly. This is _not_ how Harry was supposed to find out about this. They were supposed to sit down with him and Niall and tell them everything and answer any questions they may have. It was all supposed to be calm and rational so that if Harry was upset like Ozzy was afraid of, they could change his mind about it. They could show him how good they are together.

That clearly didn't happen. Harry did not find out that way. He found out in a bad way. The only way that would be worse was if he walked in on him and Finn fucking.

"How long has it been going on?" Harry asked, his voice quiet but steely.

Ozzy swallowed hard "You-you haven't spoken to Finn about it?"

"Obviously not! If I had, I'm sure he would have rushed straight over here to tell you," Harry snarled "How long has it been going on, Ozzy?"

"Three months," Ozzy answered, his voice cracking a bit "We've been dating for three months. We liked each other for awhile before that though. Since November."

"Since November!" Harry laughed humourlessly "So pretty much since you got here then. You don't waste any time do you, Ozzy."

Ozzy flinched at the comment. Was Harry implying Ozzy went after Finn? That all he wanted was a warm body to get into his bed? Surely he wasn't! Harry knew Ozzy wasn't like that. Didn't he?

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ozzy asked carefully. He didn't want to lash out in anger and make this conversation escalate. He needed to stay calm.

"It means you saw something you liked and you took it without any regard for the consequences. How could you do that, Ozzy? I trusted you! If I had known I couldn't, I never would have invited you here! I treated you like a son and this is how you repay me?" Harry's voice rose a bit, his cheeks turning a bit red.

Okay then. They weren't going to stay calm apparently.

"You can trust me, Harry! You can always trust me! I didn't come here with the intention of going after your son. We met, we had an instant connection. We got to know each other a bit before we started dating. This wasn't something sordid like you're making it out to be. I care about him so much-"

"Obviously you don't!" Harry cut him off "Or you never would have let this happen."

"What exactly is your problem with us dating? You've never had a problem with me before. You always say what a great guy I am. Was that all a lie? Is your opinion of me the same as everybody else's who take one look at my appearance and think I'm a no good punk?" Ozzy asked, trying to keep his voice from wobbling. He didn't want to cry right now but he had to admit if that's what Harry thought of him, he'd be devastated.

Harry's eyes softened a bit and his shoulders slumped "No, Ozzy. Of course I don't see you as a no good punk. You're a good man and a good father. I love you, I really do, but at the end of the day my son comes first. I love him more and he's going to be destroyed by this. I just don't know how you let this happen?"

"What? How will he be destroyed? He's fine. We're really happy together. What have I let happen?" Ozzy asked, confusion and exasperation taking over his face.

"I know he's happy. He's been on cloud nine for weeks now. He told us he met someone but he didn't want to talk about it until he knew it was something serious. Obviously that person is you," Harry said. He lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and sighed "He hasn't said so but I think he's in love with you."

Ozzy's heart soared and he wanted to break out into song and dance "Well good! I hope he is because I'm in love with him, too."

"Are you Ozzy?" Harry looked at him sadly "Obviously you and Finn didn't think of certain things because you were too busy in your honeymoon phase. Well I've thought of them and now you're going to hear them. Your life is in New York, Ozzy. Finn's life is here. His career is just starting and he's going to have a good one. He's going to be the best player in the league. He's living his dream of being a footie player. Do you expect him to give all that up?"

"Of course not, Harry! I want him to have his career and be the best he can be. I want to be in the stands cheering him on. I would never ask him to give up his career for me," Ozzy said emphatically.

"That right there proves you didn't think things through. When exactly do you plan on having a relationship? Your life is in New York. Your album will be released in the fall, you'll be going from city to city, country to country doing promotion. In the new year you'll be doing a tour. When you're on the road and only get one or two days off between shows and only a week off between legs, when exactly do you plan on seeing Finn? Two weeks over Christmas then on your week break between your tour legs? Four weeks together out of a whole year if you're lucky. Is that what you want for him? For yourself? You never should have started a relationship to begin with and now you're both going to get hurt."

Ozzy was quiet, standing in front of Harry as he tried to process everything. Harry wasn't finished though.

"This same thing happened to Rory. Anna moved to New York for her job, they vowed to make it work, then within six months they were breaking up because they realized they would never see each other and it was causing them to fight and snap at each other. They still loved each other and neither of them wanted to break up but she worked Monday to Friday and couldn't make the long trip back to London on Friday night to end up only getting half of Saturday and half of Sunday with Rory, especially since Rory had a match on Saturday or Sunday. He also couldn't travel because he had matches and practices all the time. It was a disaster and I watched my son fall apart, become depressed, throw himself into football so hard he became dehydrated and ended up in the hospital. It was torture for everyone involved." Harry stopped to take a breath and compose himself "Don't you see the same thing is going to happen with you and Finn? Your careers are too demanding, you'll never see each other. I don't want to watch another son go through that."

"What exactly do you expect me to do?" Ozzy's voice was shaking, his hands were shaking, everything was shaking as he tried to take all this in.

"I can't tell you what to do. My son is nineteen, I can't tell him what to do either. I just want you to really think about this. Isn't it better to end things now instead of waiting six months or a year? Isn't it better to end things amicably instead of a year from now when you hate each other and you're fighting all the time because you never see each other? Just think about it, Ozzy. Please."

"You want me to break up with him?" Ozzy was appalled "I can't do that! I won't! I love him, Harry. He's the best thing that's ever happened to be besides Jacob. He makes me happy and I make him happy. I'm not going to break his heart. No."

"You're going to break each other's hearts anyway, Ozzy. Better to do it now than later. It'll be even harder the longer you're together." Harry says quietly.

"I understand what you're saying but no. I will not willingly break Finn's heart. I couldn't- _wouldn't_ \- do that. I'm sorry you're upset by us being together. We hoped you wouldn't be. Hopefully someday you'll accept us as a couple," Ozzy said firmly. On the inside he's shaking and trying not to cry in front of him.

"Ozzy," Harry sighed "This isn't about acceptance. Like I said, I love you. I'm angry that you didn't think of what could happen and now you're in deep and it's going to hurt. A lot. If you and Finn weren't in the careers that you are in, I'd be so happy that you're together."

Harry was right about one thing- he didn't think about any of this. He worried Harry would hate him and think he was taking advantage of Finn. Turns out that wasn't the issue at all. Ozzy had never thought about what they'd do when he has to start working again. He knew Finn couldn't really travel much but he thought it would be okay because he could spend all his spare time in London. He forgot there wouldn't _be_ much spare time. He also forgot something else really important. Jacob would be five in September. He'll be starting school. Ozzy had already talked to his sister about Jacob living with her while he's touring so that he can attend school like normal. Kara would be around to help out and Ozzy would fly home as much as possible to see him. If he was flying home to see Jacob, when would he see Finn?

He felt sick. His skin felt clammy. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He was going to throw up. He could feel his breakfast churning in his stomach and the tears filling up his eyes. He needed Harry to leave. Now.

"Please go," Ozzy somehow managed to say, his hand against the wall the only thing holding him up.

"Are you okay? Ozzy-"

"No I'm not okay! I need you to leave. Now!" Ozzy screamed as he tried desperately not to throw up everywhere.

Harry stood watching him for a long moment, then he must have decided not to push anymore because he apologized then quietly turned away and left the apartment. The moment the door closed, Ozzy took off for the bathroom, making it just in time to lose all his breakfast in the toilet.

  
~~~

  
After spending a long time in the bathroom over the toilet, Ozzy managed to pick himself up, wash his mouth out, and walk slowly out to the kitchen. He sat at the table and with shaking hands managed to text Kara to let her know he wouldn't make the zoo because something came up but to have fun and tell Jacob he loves him.

After that, he sat at the table with his hands folded in front of him and tried to figure out what he was going to do. The thought of looking Finn in the eye and breaking up with him made him sick. He's only known the guy for six months, dated for three of those, and yet he was so in love with him and would rather cut off his own arm than hurt him.

But what if Harry is right? What if they can't make it work no matter how much they love each other? He knew about what happened to Rory and Anna before Harry brought it up that day. Finn had talked about it before and Ozzy had gently teased him for being a sap because he thought it was fate when they got back together. What if he and Finn weren't that lucky? Should he have seen all this before? Should he have stayed firm and not started something with Finn?

It was going to be difficult. That much was true. He was going to be touring for most of 2044. He had rehearsals in January and most of February before the tour started at the end of February. His album was planned for November so he'd be shooting a music video by August for his first single, then he'd be making the rounds at talk shows, radio shows, and late night shows. He'd be heavily promoting during the fall, right up until Christmas. So he could stay in London now, until July or August then he might get back once or twice for a day or two, then they'd have Christmas together then he'd be going on tour. Was that enough time together? If Ozzy is being honest with himself he knows that no, it isn't. It's not nearly enough time.

He banged a fist on the table and hot tears stung his eyes. Why was this happening? He loved Finn so much. He could even be 'the one' and now he might have to let him go. He had to do what was best for Finn. He had to do right by him. Is it better to end things now and deal with the heart break now instead of a year from now when they've said 'I love you' to each other and got in even deeper? If they didn't end it, would they grow to hate each other or resent each other because they never get to see each other in person?

"Fuck!!" Ozzy screamed, slamming his fist down on the table again. The tears in his eyes spilled over and he buried his head in his arms, sobbing into the fabric of his sweater. His heart hurt so bad just thinking about being without Finn. Not texting him and talking to him everyday. He doesn't want to let him go but maybe it's what's best for them in the long run.

Eventually he stops crying and blows his nose in a napkin. His phone has been going off with texts and he knew they were probably from Finn. He ignored them for awhile but realized if he didn't answer his boyfriend would come over here to see if he was okay. So he unlocked his phone and texted him with blurry eyes and shaky fingers, telling him he can't talk today because he's really sick. He told him Kara took Jacob out because it's very contagious so he shouldn't come over because he can't get sick and miss his matches.

It was pathetic. Really, really pathetic and Ozzy felt worse when Finn sent him the heart emoji and told him he hoped he felt better soon because he'd miss him until he got to see him again. He started sobbing again, this time moving up to his bedroom and curling up on his bed. He grabbed the pillow that Finn usually sleeps on and held it close to him. The smell of Finn's cologne filled his nostrils and he breathed deeply, taking in as much as he could.

Eventually that's how he fell asleep, with tear stains on his cheeks and a pillow that smells like Finn clutched to his stomach.

  
~~~

  
Ozzy managed to pull himself together by the time Kara and Jacob got back. Or. Well. He pulled himself together enough for Jacob to remain oblivious but he caught the looks Kara kept giving him. He kept averting his eyes away from her and made sure he was never alone with her. He knew she wouldn't say anything as long as Jacob was around.

Once it was time for Jacob to go to bed, Ozzy brought him up and tucked him in, disappearing inside his room as soon as his son was fast asleep. He couldn't face Kara. He couldn't face anybody. His heart was breaking and he wasn't sure he could get through it. He thought it was bad when Emily broke his heart but that's laughable now. That was nothing compared to what he's feeling right now.

He picked up his phone to text Finn. It takes six tries before he can properly type a few simple words because his hand is shaking so bad. He simply asked if Finn could come over tomorrow morning. Finn texted back right away, immediately agreeing to be there after practice. Ozzy put his phone on the bedside table and quietly cried himself to sleep.

  
~~~

  
Finn smiled and turned his face up toward the warm sun as he walked up the path to Ozzy's apartment. They were getting a lot of sunny days for May and he was enjoying every single one of them. He loved being outside, especially when he could feel the sun warming up his skin.

When he reached the door, he knocked once, then used the key Ozzy gave him when he was babysitting Jacob to let himself in.

"Oz? Where are you?" Finn called out as he took his boots off.

"Living room," His boyfriend called out, his voice sounding really gruff. He must really be sick.

Finn made his way into the living room and stopped just inside. Ozzy looked terrible. His eyes were red and swollen, his nose was red and he looked completely exhausted.

"Oz. You're so sick, love. Why didn't you let me come over and take care of you? I don't care about getting sick." Finn frowned and took a step closer.

"I'm not sick. We need to talk about something. I have to tell you something," Ozzy said. He was sitting with his back ramrod straight and he was looking past Finn as opposed to looking right at him.

A bad feeling washed over Finn. He didn't like the vibe in the room, he didn't like how Ozzy wasn't looking right at him, he didn't like the sound of Ozzy's voice, "What's going on?"

Ozzy flinched a little and it looked like his hands were shaking but Finn couldn't be sure, he was across the room. Hadn't even had a chance to walk over to the couch before being told they need to talk.

"I'm-i'm going back to New York. I have a flight tonight," Ozzy said quietly, his eyes still looking over Finn's shoulder instead of at his face.

"What do you mean? For how long? I thought you were staying through the summer until you had to start promoting your album?" Finn asked. He didn't understand. He didn't understand at all. He just knew he had a bad feeling his life was about to go to shit.

"I'm going back for good. It's our home. My sister is there. We've been away long enough," Ozzy says and this time Finn can see for sure that his hands are shaking. He was having trouble keeping himself together. Why? Why do this if he doesn't want to?

"What happened to staying through the summer? To spending as much time together as we could before your promotion started? We talked about this. We said it would be hard not seeing each other everyday but we have the rest of the summer and then we'll go from there. I don't understand why you're going home?" Finn was confused and he was starting to panic a bit but he held that back, kept himself calm. He didn't want to go off as someone who is needy and desperate.

"That was the plan, Finn, but...I've thought about it a lot and I don't think this relationship will work out," Ozzy paused and took a deep breath. He appeared to be trying not to cry "You can't travel much because of your job. There's training, matches with Chelsea then you'll have matches with England as well because let's be honest here, they will be inviting you onto that team. You're too good not too. Then I'm going to be busy with promotion all fall and then all of next year is touring. We would never see each other. Any spare time I have while on tour will be flying home to see my son. He's starting school so he'll have to live with my sister while I'm gone. There will be no time for us. So I don't see any point in staying the summer. It's better to end it now instead of spending two more months together."

Finn stared at Ozzy with wide eyes, not believing what he was hearing. Was he breaking up with him? "So you're breaking up with me?"

"I think it's for the best," Ozzy said quietly, unable to look Finn in the eye.

"It's not what's best for me. I know it'll be difficult for us but we said we could do it. Said we'd fight to stay together and never give up. Well here you are giving up already," Finn could hear the wobble in his voice and feel the tears well up in his eyes but he refused to cry. He would not cry.

"Finn, I'm trying to save us both a lot of heart ache-"

Finn cut him off with a sharp laugh "Really? Because I don't feel spared at all. I feel- I feel betrayed and I feel like a fucking fool."

"Finn no!" Ozzy stood up with wide, watery eyes, and tried to step toward him. Finn took two steps back, putting a hand up to stop him.

"I-I thought we were strong. I thought we cared so much for each other. Obviously I was wrong and really it's my own fault," Finn pinched the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger while laughing humourlessly "I knew I wasn't good enough. I knew someone like you wouldn't want a nerd like me. I _knew_ it but I liked you so much. I wanted to be with you and I believed you when you said you wanted to be with me to. I trusted you."

"No. No that's not true, Finn! _Don't_ say that. Of course you're good enough, you're amazing and-"

"I don't want to hear it," Finn shouted. He didn't cry though. He was determined to hold on to some part of his dignity "I don't want to hear anything else from you. I don't- I don't want Jacob to think I forgot about him. He's an amazing little boy and I love him a lot. If you're okay with me keeping in touch with him, Kara has my number. I'm sure we can work with her. You won't have to be involved at all."

"Finn please!! Don't leave like this!" Ozzy was actually crying now and Finn couldn't look at him. He still loved him so much, even though he never got the chance to tell him, and he couldn't look at him crying and get out of there without crying himself.

"Don't leave like what? You just-you just broke my heart. I'm not going to just stick around for more,"Finn spat out.

"Don't- you are good enough! You are! You're _too_ good for me. Please don't leave thinking you're not good enough. _Please_ ," Ozzy begged, the tears flowing rapidly down his cheeks and over his chin.

Finn had to leave, had to get out of there. He felt like he could barely breathe and even though Ozzy hurt him, he still can't stand to see him crying like this. He was about two seconds away from breaking down himself and he refused to let Ozzy see him that way.

"If I was good enough, you wouldn't have broken my heart," Finn whispered, then he turned around and walked out of the apartment, his head held high, his shoulders and back straight and his face dry of tears.

The last thing he heard before the door slammed behind him was Ozzy's broken voice calling out to him.

  
~~~

  
It took Finn three tries to get his keys in the ignition of his car because he was shaking so badly. He tried taking deep breaths to calm himself down but the pain in his heart was so bad that when he tried to breathe deep it was like he was being stabbed with a knife.

"Oh God," He whimpered as he started the car up and started driving. He probably shouldn't be driving, in case he got in an accident but he couldn't stay outside of Ozzy's apartment until he calmed down. He was too afraid Ozzy would see him and come running out, screaming at him not to leave.

So he gripped the steering wheel hard to keep his hands from shaking and he drove well below the speed limit so that he didn't get into any accidents and somehow he made it to his brother's house. He didn't even know that's where he was headed, he just started driving.

After parking the car, he walked up to the door on shaky legs then spent five minutes trying to get the right key in the lock so he could get in. It never even occurred to him to just knock so Rory could let him in.

Finally when he gets inside, he kicks his boots off and walks numbly through the house. He finds his brother in the kitchen making lunch for himself and when he turns and sees Finn he jumps in the air and puts a hand over his heart.

"Jesus Christ, Finny! I didn't hear you come in. You startled me."

That's when Finn breaks down. He managed to hold it together until now but seeing his big brother and hearing his voice made him break and now his face was crumbling and a sob was fighting it's way up his throat until he lets it out.

"Oh my God!" Rory put down the fork he was holding and rushed over to Finn, placing his hands on both of Finn's shaking shoulders "What's happened? What's wrong?" His brother moves his hands up and down his arms and looks at his face, a look of panic on his face "Are you hurt? Finnegan! Are you physically hurt anywhere?"

Finn couldn't speak he was crying so hard so he just shook his head to let his brother know he wasn't hurt in that way. Rory looked relieved for a second but then the look of panic was back on his face "Is it Dad? Or Pop? Are the kids okay?"

Finn nodded his head and somehow managed to spit out that everyone was okay before he fell back into gut wrenching sobs. Rory grabbed him and pulled him into his chest, hugging him tight while he cried. He didn't say anything, just kissed Finn's cheek and held him tight until Finn's legs seemed to have given out from under him and Rory held him upright, dragging him into the living room so he could sit on the couch.

"Oh my God, Finn. What happened? What's upset you so much?" Rory kneeled on the floor in front of Finn and brushed Finn's hair out of his eyes with a warm hand.

Finn opened his mouth to speak but all that came out were ugly sobs. It was clear he wouldn't be able to talk until he calmed down so Rory got up from the floor and sat next to him on the couch, pulling him into his side and letting him cry.

It took twenty minutes for his sobbing to calm down into quiet crying. Rory still had an arm around his shoulders so Finn turned his face into Rory's chest and mumbled "Ozzy broke up with me."

"He did what?" Rory pulled back so he could look into Finn's eyes "Why? That doesn't make sense."

Finn snorted and wiped at his cheeks with his hands "What doesn't make sense? He broke up with me. Seems pretty clear to me."

"It just- it doesn't make sense. He's in love with you, Finn. Anyone can see that when they look at him," Rory says, a confused look on his face.

"Did he tell you he's in love with me?" Finn asked.

"Well no but-"

"Then don't. Don't tell me he loves me when it's clear that he doesn't. He wouldn't have let me go otherwise," Finn said, a few more tears leaking from his eyes and down over his cheeks .

"Finn...what can I do? I'm so sorry, love. I'm so sorry this has happened. I know how much you love him. Is there anything I can do for you?" Rory asks, his eyes full of pain and concern for his brother.

"Can I just stay here with you? I don't want to go home yet. I can't deal with the looks on Pop and Dad's faces. They'll be so sad and want to help me but I'm not in the mood to be double teamed right now. I should have myself under control by the time Penny and Maddie come home from school. I don't want to upset them. Is Danny at daycare?"

"He is," Rory nodded "Of course you can stay here with me. We have plenty of room. You can take the bedroom downstairs. Then you'll have my man cave right next to you. Lots of telly and video games to distract you if you want."

"Okay. Um you can tell Anna why I'm here. I don't mind. Just please tell her I don't want to talk about it. I just want you both to treat me like normal." Finn said while wiping over his nose with a tissue he had in his pocket.

"Absolutely. You'll be treated the same as always. You do need to tell Dad and Pop where you are, though. They'll be worried sick. I can talk to them for you. I'll just say you need some time to yourself and you're staying here for a few days." Rory offered.

"Okay. Okay, thank you. I'm just going to go to my room now. I want to be alone for a bit. I'll come get you if I need anything," Finn sniffed.

"Okay. I'll take care of everything. I love you, so much. I hate to see you sad," Rory said sadly.

"I know. I love you, too." Finn hugged his brother tight "Thank you for everything."

"Anytime Finny. You know I'd do anything for you. Always. Go on and get some rest. The room is clean," Rory squeezed Finn one last time before letting him go.

Finn tried to smile at his brother but he knew it didn't work. He turned and walked out of the room, heading for the stairs. He could feel the tears burning behind his eyes again but he fought them off. He didn't want to cry anymore. He just wanted to sleep.

  
~~~

  
The moment Finn went out the door, a sound came out of Ozzy that he's never heard before. It was a scream/sob and he immediately fell onto his knees on the floor, loud, gut wrenching sobs being ripped from his body.

He's never felt pain like this before. Not when his father left and never looked back, and not when Emily left him and told him she only wanted him for his fame. He thought that was the worst pain he could ever feel. He loved her and was considering marrying her in the future. That was all laughable now because it wasn't love. Not for her and not for him either. Since falling in love with Finn, he's realized his love for Emily had been extreme fondness. It was _nothing_ compared to what he felt for Finn. _She_ was nothing compared to Finn.

Finn is the most special person he's ever met. The world is lucky to have him. He cares so deeply for people and about certain things. He'll fight for what he believes in and he'll fight for anyone that he loves. He was soft hearted and tried to find the best in everyone, in every situation, and Ozzy just fucking broke him.

More ungodly sounds were ripped from his body and he picked up the nearest thing to him and threw it as hard as he could across the room. It was a lamp and it shattered spectacularly. He'd have to pay for that before he left. It didn't matter. He was a millionaire now. He could afford it. So he threw more things, broke more things, upended a chair and tried to upend the couch but by that time he was crying so hard and completely out of energy so he just crumpled down on top of it and cried and cried and cried.

Kara had already taken Jacob and they were on a plane to New York. He knew he'd need a lot of time to compose himself so he sent them ahead and his flight is for tonight. Until then he wasn't moving, didn't think he _could_ move. He missed Finn, he wanted Finn, he _needed_ Finn, but he sent him away and broke his heart. Made him think he wasn't good enough. Ozzy would never forgive himself for that. Never.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter everybody! I hope you enjoy it. I want to thank everyone for continuing to read the story and the reaction to the last chapter was amazing! You guys are so into the story and so invested in what happens. I love it and it makes me so happy that my writing can make people feel so strongly. Thank you so much and please keep telling me what you think of the story. It means a lot :)
> 
> I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

 

 

Niall is sitting in the nursery with Ryanne at two in the morning, feeding her a bottle with a frown on his face. His baby girl was perfect and he loved holding her this way, in the middle of the night when it's quiet and just them, but his mind is on his son right now.

Finn hasn't been home for almost a week and all they know is that he's safe with Rory and Rory told them he needs time so not to push, just be patient. Well Niall was running out of patience. He was worried sick about his son and needed him home. Now.

To make matters worse, his husband was acting weird and everyday he gets a little weirder. Niall doesn't know what to do. He's tried asking him several times what's wrong but he just keeps saying he's fine when he most certainly is not fine. He knows his husband. Harry is not fine.

"Your Papa is being silly, little Princess. He won't tell Daddy what's bothering him. Has he told you? Hmm? Do you know everybody's secrets?" Niall whispered quietly as his daughter sucked on her bottle.

Her eyes were starting to get a bit droopy and he knew she'd fall back to sleep soon, so as soon as she was done with the bottle he stood up and put her over his shoulder, patting her back while he slowly walked around the room. When she let out a loud burp and fart at the same time, Niall burst out laughing and rested his chin on top of her head.

"My my, Ryanne. When you do that you sound more like my child biologically instead of your Papa's," Niall giggled "I was quite gassy as a baby according to your granny."

Niall continued to move around the room, rubbing his hand over her back and singing to her softly. Once she was burped and had a nappy change, he placed her back in her cot and kissed one of her chubby cheeks before saying goodnight and heading back to his own bedroom.

"What were you laughing at?" Harry asked groggily as Niall climbed back into bed.

"Our daughter is a gassy one. Told her she must be related to me and not you," Niall joked, a tired smile on his face.

"Oh God. She'll look like me but turn out like you," Harry laughed and snuggled into Niall's chest. "Sleep in tomorrow, yeah? I'll get up with Ryanne and get the kids off to school. I can't do it the day after tomorrow because I'll be leaving early to head to the O2 for auditions. You take a little break."

"Okay," Niall buried his face in Harry's hair and kissed his head "I think I'll take you up on that. Thank you."

"You're welcome baby," Harry kissed his chest softly, one of his hands gently caressing the skin over Niall's ribs.

"H?" Niall speaks softly into the darkness "I'm worried about Finn. I don't think I can be patient anymore. I need to at least see him and hold him. That's all I want. I'm going to call Rory in the morning and ask him to ask Finn if it's okay for me to see him. Besides being worried about him I miss him too."

"I know. I miss him too," Harry whispered. He sounded nervous to Niall and this wasn't the first time Niall has noticed that. It was starting to bother him.

"Harry. Do you know what's going on with Finn? Are you keeping something from me?" Niall asked, immediately getting an answer to his question when Harry's body stiffens in his arms "You are, aren't you?" Niall scrambled to sit up and reached over to turn on the lamp "Harry! What is going on?"

"Niall," Harry sighed, his eyes moving back and forth and settling on everything but Niall "I'm just worried about Finn, too. I don't know anything more than you do."

"That's bullshit!" Niall said incredulously "I can see it all over your face! We've been married for over twenty years, Harry. I know when you're lying to me!"

"I'm not lying! I really don't know anymore than what Rory told us," Harry said, still not meeting Niall's eyes.

"I can't believe you! You are lying right now. You can't even look at me. We said we wouldn't lie to each other, Harry. We promised!" Niall threw the blankets back and stood up, angrily shoving his feet in his slippers and trudging over to the en suite to get his robe "I'm sleeping in Finn's room."

"Niall!!" Harry finally looked up, his mouth opened wide in shock.

"Don't Harry. I don't want to hear it right now. When you want to tell me the truth, you know where to find me. Until then, don't talk to me at all," Niall said coldly, then he walked swiftly out of the room and ran down the stairs to Finn's bedroom.

He tried to settle in, to get some sleep, to have a lie in since Harry would be seeing to the kids, but he couldn't. He couldn't sleep when he missed his son,was worried about him and now is surrounded by his smell and his belongings. He can't sleep when his husband isn't next to him and they've just had an argument. He can't sleep knowing that his husband is lying to him and it most likely involves one of their children. Finn was his son too and he deserved to know what was going on.

He stays awake for the rest of the night, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. He can't get his brain to shut up, thoughts just rumbling around until he feels like his head will explode.

Finally, at eight o'clock, he gives up on sleep and texts Rory, asking him to talk to Finn and tell him he just wants to see him. He won't ask any questions or anything, he'll follow Finn's lead, he just wants to see him.

Rory texts back that he'll talk to Finn as soon as he can and then Niall must have dozed off because the next thing he knew, it was eleven o'clock and he was waking up to his stomach rumbling. When he looks at his phone there's a text from Finn saying he'll be home for lunch and Niall can't help but smile wide and jump out of bed, running upstairs to take a shower. He emerges ten minutes later, dressed and towel drying his hair. He heads downstairs and finds Harry in the kitchen with Ryanne.

"Hello!" Niall walks over to his daughter's bassinet "How's daddy's little princess? You're so pretty this morning. Papa has you dressed all nice. Look at that cute little headband. I could just eat you!"

Ryanne makes gurgling noises and waves her hands around in the air making Niall coo as he picked her up. His eyes meet Harry's as he settles Ryanne against his shoulder and Harry looks at him like he's just lost his best friend.

"Am I allowed to talk to you now?" He asks softly.

"Depends on what you have to say," Niall answers as he kisses Ryanne's temple and sways her back and forth.

"I don't want to fight with you, Niall," Harry says warily.

"I don't want to fight with you either, Harry but you're keeping something from me, which is bad enough, but this is about one of our children and that makes it so much worse. He's my son, too, I'm worried sick about him and you won't tell me what you know! I'm beyond angry and I feel betrayed so unless you can fix that somehow, I don't think we have anything to say to each other."

"Niall, _please_ , I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm not trying to hurt you, I just-I'm so ashamed at myself and-"

Harry doesn't get to finish because the front door opens and closes and Finn walks into the kitchen a moment later, stopping when he sees the looks on his parents faces "What's going on? Am I interrupting something?"

Niall lets out a breath and gently places Ryanne back into her bassinet so he can wrap Finn up into a tight hug "You're not interrupting anything, Bub. We're just so glad to see you. We missed this face of yours."

"It's a nice face," Harry says with a small smile, making Finn laugh a little. He lets go of Niall and hugs Harry then heads over to the bassinet to coo at Ryanne for a minute.

"I'm sorry I haven't been home in a few days. I didn't mean to worry you," Finn says when he looks up from Ryanne "I just really didn't want to see anyone. Rory and Anna pretty much let me be. They kept the kids away as much as they could but they're so young, they didn't realize anything was wrong anyway."

"It's okay. We understand you wanting to be alone. It's quite busy in this house with six kids. We're just happy to see you," Niall smiles at his son. "Do you want some lunch? I'm starving. I was going to make a sandwich."

"Yeah. I could eat. I worked up an appetite at practice this morning," Finn said, taking a seat at the table.

"I can make you both something. I made fresh bread yesterday. What kind of sandwich would you like?" Harry asked the both of them.

"It's okay. I can do it," Niall walked past Harry to the fridge and started taking out supplies for sandwiches. When everything was on the counter, Ryanne started fussing so Harry took her upstairs to change her nappy and put her in her cot for a nap.

"What's going on with you and Pop?" Finn asked, a careful tone to his voice.

"Nothing for you to worry about, Bub," Niall looked over his shoulder and smiled reassuringly at his son.

"Well I don't like it. It's not normal if you and Pop aren't all over each other," Finn grumbled.

Niall laughed as he started putting mayonnaise on the bread "Just because we're not all over each other doesn't mean we're not okay. Couples have disagreements sometimes. It's a part of any relationship. The important thing is to communicate and work it out. You'll figure that out someday. You and your mysterious boyfriend haven't been together long enough to really argue yet. Still in that honeymoon phase I bet."

Finn doesn't say anything so Niall looks over his shoulder at him again, only to see his son looking dejectedly down at the table "Hey. Finn. Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

Finn shook his head and reached up to quickly wipe tears from his eyes "No, it's okay. It's not your fault. You didn't know."

"Didn't know what?" Niall sat down at the table and covered his son's hand with his own "Did something happen? Did you and your boyfriend break up?" That would explain a lot.

"We didn't break up," Finn said softly, his eyes still pointed down at the table "At least- at least it wasn't mutual. He broke up with me."

Niall moved his chair closer to his son's, his heart breaking for him, especially after hearing his voice quiver when he spoke. His son didn't like to cry, at least not in front of people and it killed Niall to see him trying to hold back instead of just letting it all out.

"I'm sorry, Finn," Niall slid his arm around his son's shoulders, pulling him into his side and kissing his temple "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm here for you, whatever you need. Your Pop too."

"Nothing to talk about really," Finn rested his head on Niall's shoulder "I just wasn't good enough I guess."

Niall was about to emphatically deny that and threaten to break the neck of any guy who dared say that to his son but he never got the chance. Harry came charging into the kitchen, a tortured look on his face, and practically slammed his hands down on the table.

"That is _not_ true, Finnegan Robert Horan. You are absolutely good enough. You're amazing and anyone would be lucky to have you. Don't you- don't you dare say that about yourself ever again," Harry burst into tears by the end of it, covering his face with his hands while Niall and Finn stared at him with wide eyes and opened mouths.

"Harry...what is wrong with you?" Niall stood up and walked over to his husband "I mean, I completely agree with everything you just said but...why are you crying like this?"

Harry continued to sob, removing his hands from his face as he tried to gulp in air "It's-it's my fault. This is a-all my fault."

Niall made a face and placed his hand on Harry's arm reassuringly "Harry. That doesn't make sense. How could any of this be your fault?"

"I forgot my phone!" Harry cried, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.

Finn looked at Niall, a concerned look on his face. Niall couldn't blame him. Harry wasn't making sense. He sounded like he was cracking up "Harry, you're not making sense, darlin'" Niall said softly, running his hand up and down Harry's arm soothingly.

Harry shook him off, shaking his head sadly "It's all my fault. I forgot my phone and then I- then I saw them and I-I was just so angry and then I was scared."

Niall's heart rate picked up and he stepped in front of Harry, grabbing him by the shoulders "Harry! You're scaring _me_ now. What the fuck is going on?"

Harry took in some deep breaths to marginally calm himself then he looked at Finn with pained eyes "I forgot my phone when I went to Manchester. I had the driver turn around and come back so I could get it. When I came in I-I walked past the living room and saw Finn with Ozzy on his lap. They were snogging."

Niall's hands dropped from Harry's shoulders and his head swivelled around to look at Finn "What? Ozzy? _Ozzy_ , Ozzy? Ozzy Peters, Ozzy? He's your boyfriend?"

"Not anymore," Finn mumbled, his eyes still locked on Harry, his face pale "Pop...why didn't you say anything?"

"I was in shock. I spent the whole car ride to Manchester trying to wrap my brain around what I just saw," Harry admitted.

"Wait!" Niall held a hand up in the air "You called me when you got to Manchester. I could tell something was wrong with you but you told me you were just missing me and the kids."

"I was! Of course I was. That was the truth," Harry looked at Niall with pleading eyes "I just-I was also reeling from what I had seen. What I found out."

" _What_?" Niall threw his hands up and looked completely baffled "Okay, you were shocked, I get it. It's not everyday you walk in on your kid snogging somebody but it could have been a lot worse so _why_ were you so upset and why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"Why wouldn't I be upset, Niall? I trusted Ozzy, treated him like a son and the whole time he was here he was running around behind our backs with our son!" Harry said incredulously.

"Wait a minute," Finn stood up and looked between his two parents "I'm nineteen years old. I can date whoever I want and I can tell anyone I want. You don't get to be mad about it. I'm not a child."

"I've got to agree with our son on that one, Harry. He can date whoever he wants. He's an adult. What exactly is your problem with Ozzy? Are you just upset they never told us they were dating?" Niall questioned.

"I don't have a problem with Ozzy! Not really. If he had any other job I'd be happy for him to date Finn but-"

"That's being a bit hypocritical isn't it, H? He has the same job as you," Niall couldn't help but point out.

"I know he does," Harry sighed "I didn't want to see our son have to put up with everything you've had to deal with over the years, simply because you're married to me. I didn't want him to suffer like Rory did when Anna moved to New York and there was just no way for them to ever see each other-"

"Wait a minute! Are we seriously talking about this again? It's been over twenty years, Harry! How many times do I have to say that I wouldn't change a damn thing about our life? I know you feel guilty but I keep telling you I didn't suffer, not one bit. Paparazzi following me and people writing about me online or in magazines doesn't bother me. It never has and it never will. You've got to let this-this misguided guilt that you have, go. I can deal with it just fine but it's affecting our son now. Enough is enough!" Niall said sternly.

"Pop?" Finn's soft voice cut through the silence that had overtaken the room after Niall's rant "What did you do?"

Niall watched as Harry turned to look at their son, a stricken look on his face. He looked guilty and devastated and Niall had a sinking feeling he now knew what Harry meant when he said this was all his fault. Ozzy broke up with Finn because of Harry. Oh my God.

"Answer me, Pop," Finn's voice was steady and calm but his chest was rising and falling rapidly and Niall knew he was moments away from losing it "What did you do?"

"Finn," Harry walked toward their son with an arm outstretched "Please. You have to understand how scared I was. I didn't want you to end up like Rory did when Anna left for New York. He became a shell of himself, worked himself so hard on the pitch he ended up in the hospital with dehydration. I was just trying to protect you, I-"

"Oh my God!" Finn sobbed out, the look of pain in his eyes nearly taking Niall's breath away "You talked to him, didn't you? You told him to break up with me!"

"No!" Harry was crying again now and Niall stood in between his son and his husband, not knowing what to do, where to go, who to comfort "I didn't tell him to break up with you."

"But you talked to him, didn't you? What did you say, Pop? Tell me what you said!" Finn was quickly becoming unhinged. The pain in his eyes turned to anger. His hands clenched into fists and his whole body trembling.

"I just-I told him he should have known better. He's older than you, he should have stopped anything before it started. With him in New York or on tour and you here playing football, you'd never see each other. I simply asked him to think about whether or not it would be best to end things now instead of in a few months when it would hurt even more. Finn. I was just trying to protect you, I was trying to-"

"You were trying to run my life!!!" Finn screamed, his face turning red with anger, the veins popping out in his neck.

"No! I wasn't-"

"Yes you were!!" Finn screamed "What gives you the right to go to my boyfriend and tell him what's best for me? I'm nineteen years old! I'm a fucking adult! How dare you!"

"Finn-" Niall tried to step in between his son and his husband, trying to think of a way to diffuse the situation before something was said in the heat of anger that they couldn't take back. He wanted to calm them down, get them in separate rooms for awhile and then come back to the conversation later. Finn wasn't having it though. He cut Niall off and held up a hand, telling Niall to stop talking.

"You had no right to do what you did!" Finn continued to yell at Harry "No right! He made me happy. We had so much fun together. I was in love with him! I'm still in love with him and because of you he's gone!"

"Finn, _please_ -" Harry reached out a hand toward their son, tears rapidly falling down his face and onto his shirt. He tried to touch Finn's arm but Finn slapped his hand away and that had Niall seeing red.

"Hey!" Niall yelled and stepped in between Harry and Finn, grabbing Finn's forearm and holding on tight "Don't you _ever_ reach out and strike your father like that ever again. Do you hear me??"

Finn ripped his arm out of Niall's grip, the force of it making Finn stumble back into the table and knocking a glass onto the floor "Why not?? He's not really my father anyway, is he? Neither one of you are!"

Niall felt his heart stop beating for a second as he heard Harry gasp behind him. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. He could hear Harry sobbing behind him but it sounded far away. In front of him he could see the moment Finn realized exactly what he said and the look on his face turn from anger to horror in the blink of an eye.

He didn't know what to do, didn't feel like he could even move as the weight of his son's words settled in his gut. He watched as his son began to stumble backwards, his hands gripping the table and then the wall as he made his way out of the kitchen, the look of horror still firmly in place on his face.

He didn't snap out of it until he heard the front door slam behind Finn and Harry's screams started to echo around the kitchen.

"Go after him, Niall!" Harry screamed, grabbing onto his shoulders to shake him out of his trance "Oh God, you have to go after him! We can't let him leave like this! We can't! Niall! Please!"

"Harry!!" Niall shouted over his husband, finally finding his voice "He's already gone. I can't just get in my car and chase after him in Central London."

"He shouldn't be driving!" Harry tried to take off around Niall, heading for the door but Niall grabbed him and pulled him back, wrapping him up in his arms and holding on tight.

"It's too late to do anything about that now, darlin'. He'll be fine. He's a good driver and he's smart. We have to trust our son, okay? We have to trust him. He's never given us reason not too," Niall says in a soothing voice "We know where he's going. We know he'll go to Rory. That's not far from here and Rory will take care of him, okay? He's really upset and he needs time to calm down. We have to give him that."

"I fucked up so bad, Niall. So bad," Harry whispered before his body started to shake from sobbing again. "I-I swear I didn't mean to hurt him. I-I was just scared. I was so scared what happened to Rory would happen to him. I just- oh God, he's never going to forgive me. He hates me now!"

Niall held on to Harry tightly, their bodies pressed firmly together. Niall was getting choked up himself but he was trying to hold it together for his husband, for his family "No, darlin'. He doesn't hate you. I swear he doesn't. He's just so upset right now he's not thinking straight. He very clearly loves Ozzy a lot and he's hurting. He didn't mean what he said. I promise you he didn't mean it."

"He's my son!" Harry practically screeched "I love him so much. I don't care about blood. He's my baby. He's my baby, Niall."

"I know, darlin'. I know," Niall whispered, his tears starting to finally fall down over his cheeks. His son and his husband were both hurting so badly and he didn't know how to fix it except to wait and let things calm down a bit. It made him feel useless "I'm going to send Rory a text, giving him a heads up that Finn might be coming over and I'll ask him to have Anna text us the moment he arrives."

"Yeah, okay, yeah," Harry stepped back and nodded his head vigorously "Please do that."

Niall grabbed his phone out of his pocket and sent a text to Rory explaining only that Finn was upset and probably on the way there. He was going to have him get Anna to text them when Finn arrived but he remembered it was a week day and she was at work so he asked Rory to send a quick text so they know Finn arrived safely. Rory agreed so Niall put his phone down on the table and pulled a crying Harry back into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Niall. I'm so sorry," Harry gasped out, his tears hitting Niall's neck.

"I know, darlin'. I know," Niall ran a hand over his shaking back soothingly "I'm not the one you need to be apologizing to, though. That would be Ozzy and Finn."

"I know and I will. I'll apologize for the rest of my life if I have to. I still owe you an apology, too. For not telling you Finn's boyfriend was Ozzy then not telling you I talked to him and pretty much drove him away. I was so stupid, Niall. I let my fear take over and now I've ruined our son's life," Harry sniffles into Niall's neck.

"You didn't ruin his life, Harry. You made a mistake. You had good intentions but you never should have interfered. It's Finn's decision if he wants to be in a long distance relationship. He's old enough to decide that for himself and they deserve a chance to see if they can make it work." Niall says gently.

Harry nods and pulls back, wiping his cheeks with his hands "I know everything you're saying is right. I regret so much what I did. I don't regret trying to protect our son but I could have done it a better way. I could have sat the both of them down and made sure they knew what they were facing. Then they could have decided together if it was worth it or not. I need to fix this."

"Not right now you don't," Niall sat his husband down at the table and went over to the counter to turn the kettle on for tea. After that he got the broom to clean up the glass that broke, making sure to wrap it in paper before throwing it in the bin "We need to let things calm down. We need to make sure Finn is okay. He probably won't want you to get involved any further. This will be between him and Ozzy. I know it's hard but we just have to wait. Rory will calm Finn down."

Right on cue, Niall's phone pings and he quickly picks it up, smiling in relief "Rory said Finn just got there safe and sound and he'll text us later with more info."

"Thank God!" Harry made a happy noise "Oh thank God."

"It'll be okay, Harry. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day but it _will_ be okay," Niall squeezed Harry's hand on top of the table.

"I hope you're right, Niall," Harry looked at him sadly "I hope you're right."

 

~~~

  
Finn was crying and shaking the whole time he was driving to his brother's house, the look on his parents faces when he screamed at them that they weren't really his parents, haunting him and making him sick to his stomach.

The thing is, he didn't mean it. Not even a little bit. They were his parents, always would be, and he loved them with all his heart. He only said what he said because he was so angry and hurt and he wanted to hurt them back. His Dad didn't even _do_ anything, yet he threw him in there too and hurt him when he had no part in what his Pop had done. Everything was a complete and utter mess right now.

Stumbling out of his car, his chest heaving with every sob that is ripped from his body, he makes his way up the walkway to the front door, his vision blurry and causing him to trip. He goes down hard onto his knees, barely even feeling any pain, then before he can push himself up onto his feet again, there are strong hands lifting him up and holding on to him as they walk toward the door and into the house.

"Hey. Finnegan, hey," Rory spoke softly into his ear "You're bleeding. Come on. Come upstairs and I'll clean you up."

Finn didn't say anything, just went where his brother guided him. He didn't even know where he was bleeding from and couldn't care less right now. The only pain he felt was the pain in his heart. Pain from missing Ozzy, pain from his Pop going behind his back, and pain from watching his parents faces when he shouted they weren't really his parents.

"Alright. Take your jeans off and sit on the toilet," Rory instructed him when they got into the en suite of the master bedroom. Finn did as he was told then sat on the toilet in his boxers while Rory got the first aid kit from under the sink and started rifling through it for supplies.

"Skinned knees," Rory smiled softly at him as he wet a cloth under the faucet. "Haven't cleaned skinned knees for you since you were a little boy."

"Yeah," Finn whispered, smiling slightly at the memory. He idolized his brother when he was growing up. Still did really. He loved learning to play football with him but he also loved those first few years before Rory moved out. Their parents would go out on dates or to some industry party, the Brits or a charity function, and Rory would babysit him and Nori. He remembers all they did was laugh and laugh and laugh some more. Those were some of the best moments in his life.

"Want to tell me what happened?" Rory asked after a minute of cleaning the blood and dirt from his knees.

Finn sniffled and wiped at his face with some tissues, blowing his nose loudly and throwing the tissues in the bin that Rory put next to the toilet "I-I did something really bad."

"Mmm," Rory hummed as he opened up a large, square band-aid to put on Finn's knee "I don't believe that for a minute. You're such a good person, Finn. You couldn't have done anything too bad. At least not on purpose."

"I did," Finn said in a choked voice as he tried to hold back more sobs "I-I hurt Dad and Pop. So badly. I can't get the look on their faces out of my head. Especially Pop's. Oh God. You know how his eyes get big and-and full of tears and-and he gets this hurt look in his eyes-"

"Hey. Finn. Look at me," Rory held his face in both hands "Take a breath okay? Take some nice, easy breaths. I'm almost done here then we can talk, okay?"

Finn nodded and did what his brother said, slowing his breathing down before he started to hyperventilate. Getting his breathing under control is something he can do easily, used to doing it during all his years playing football.

When his brother finished bandaging his other knee, he went out into the bedroom to get Finn a pair of joggers to wear, then after Finn got dressed they went back downstairs where Finn curled into the corner of the couch while Rory made tea, since tea seemed to be the answer to all British peoples problems. Finn didn't mind in this instance since he was cold, shaking and nothing he did seemed to help him get warm.

"Now," Rory smiled warmly at him when he came back into the living room with their tea "Do you want to tell me what happened?"  
  
Finn wrapped both hands around his cup for warmth and also to keep the cup from shaking too much "I got into a huge fight with Dad and Pop."

Rory sat on the coffee table in front of him, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and cup in hand "Okay. We've all gotten in fights with Dad and Pop. Even the twins. What was different about this fight that got you so upset?"

Finn closed his eyes tight for a moment to try and keep more tears from falling. It didn't help him much. Sure, he stopped the tears but all he could see when he closed his eyes was the look on his parents faces and it made his heart hurt so much he was afraid if he took even the slightest breath it would explode.

"Hey. Finnegan," Rory's voice had Finn opening his eyes "Take another breath for me. Come on. Don't end up passing out on me."

Finn released the breath he was holding and looked up at his brother with watery eyes "Sorry. Sorry, I just-I can't get their faces out of my head. I don't know how they'll ever forgive me."

"Of course they will," Rory said with a frown on his face "They're your parents, Finn. No matter what you said or did, they'll always forgive you, always love you."

"Rory," Finn shook his head sadly "That's just it. They're my parents but I screamed at them that they weren't, not really."

Rory's eyebrows shot up and he sat back in shock, clearly not knowing what to say for a minute. When he gathered himself, he leaned forward again and put a comforting hand on Finn's knee "Oh Finny. It must have been some fight for you to say something like that. What happened?"

Finn tipped his head back and rested it on the back of the couch. He stared up at the ceiling while he spoke "Long story short- Pop found out about me and Ozzy. He saw us kissing but we didn't know he was there. He was on his way to Manchester so when he got back, he went to see Ozzy, they had it out and then Ozzy broke up with me."

"Whoa. That's-" Rory let out a long breath "That's a lot. Pop shouldn't have done that but you know you can't completely blame him for Ozzy breaking up with you, right? Ozzy's an adult. He doesn't have to do whatever Pop tells him."

"I know but he obviously saw how much Ozzy cares for me and he used that to his advantage. He told him he didn't want what happened with you and Anna to happen to me. He asked him if it would be better to break up now as opposed to later? He put all these fears and ideas in Ozzy's head and he had no right! He doesn't know if we could have made it work or not. For all he knows, I might want to quit football and move to New York, go on the road with Ozzy-"

"Finn you can't-"

"I'm not saying I would do that, Rory," Finn rolled his eyes at his brother "I'm trying to make a point. I'm nineteen. It's my life. I'll do what I want with it and nobody has any right to interfere. Give advice? Yes. Interfere? No."

"You're right. Of course you're right about that. Pop was wrong and I'm sure he knows that. He meant well, though. I hope you know that," Rory said.

"I do know that. When I found out, though, I was so angry. Pop was trying to explain himself, he reached out to me and I slapped his hand away. Dad freaked out and got in my face. He told me to never strike Pop like that again. That made me more angry so I screamed 'why not? He's not really my father anyway, is he? Neither one of you are.' and-and-" Finn couldn't talk anymore. He started sobbing again and Rory sat down on the couch next to him, pulling him into a hug.

"Okay. It's okay, Finny. It's gonna be okay. I promise you," Rory said softly. His familiar voice and smell were a comfort to Finn so he clung onto his brother for dear life, sobbing his heart out for what felt like the fiftieth time this week.

"I didn't mean it, Rory. I swear I didn't mean it," Finn gasped out between sobs "I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it."

"I know, Finn, I know," Rory said, starting to get choked up himself "Please. Try to calm down, okay? You're going to make yourself sick."

"They're never going to forgive me, Rory," Finn cried "I said the worst thing I could ever say to them. They probably hate me now."

"Finn, listen to me!" Rory pulled back and grabbed Finn by the shoulders, turning him so they were facing each other "Dad and Pop could never hate you. They love you more than anything. They would jump in front of a train without any hesitation for any of their children or grandchildren and it doesn't matter who gave birth to us or whether or not we're related to them or not. I guarantee you they have already forgiven you. They will probably tell you there's nothing to forgive anyway."

"Oh my God," Finn abruptly stopped sobbing and groaned "I completely forgot."

"Forgot what?" Rory looked at him like he was crazy "What are you going on about?"

"You just reminded me that a month ago, I think it was the day before Ryanne was born, Dad and Pop told me Granny Sheila called to tell them Jennifer showed up after all these years and wants to meet me. I said I don't want to meet her but Dad and Pop wanted me to take my time and _really_ think about it so I don't have any regrets about it later. I completely forgot about it with everything going on. I didn't even get to tell Ozzy about it because when I was going to, I had to rush home to stay with the girls and the twins so Dad and Pop could go to the hospital to see Ryanne being born."

"Jesus," Rory cursed and covered his face with his hand for a minute, looking at Finn through his fingers "Your life is like a show on telly, little brother."

Finn's eyes opened wide and he couldn't help but snort with laughter, despite the fact that he was sobbing only moments before "You're one to talk! Finding out your dead Dad wasn't really dead at all!"

"Oh my God!" Rory doubled over with laughter "Our family is insane!"

"You're only now figuring that out?" Finn asked his brother with a quirked eyebrow.

"Apparently so," Rory's laughter tapered off and he looked at Finn fondly "It's good to hear you laughing."

Finn gave his brother a half smile and a shrug "You always manage to make me do that somehow."

"I try," Rory grinned at Finn then fell against him on the couch, wrapping an arm around his shoulders "Let's handle one thing at a time, yeah? If Jennifer wants to meet you, she'll wait as long as it takes for you to make a decision. In the meantime, take some time to yourself, calm down a bit, then you can work things out with Dad and Pop."

"I don't think I can face them right now, Rory," Finn shook his head sadly.

"You don't have to. We'll wait and see how you feel tomorrow," Rory suggested.

"Could you-could you go over there and make sure they're okay? Please?" Finn turned his head to look at his brother, prepared to beg if he had to.

"Of course I will. I'll never turn down a chance to see my sisters and brothers. I might kidnap Ryanne. She's so cute. I miss having a tiny baby around," Rory said wistfully.

"Um. That's easily fixed. Just go have sex with your wife," Finn says with a deadpan look on his face.

"Excuse you!" Rory elbowed Finn in the stomach then burst out laughing "We've started trying actually. My last match is next week so Anna stopped her birth control a couple months ago. No luck yet but probably soon. We've never had a problem in the fertility department."

"Well I can't wait to be an uncle again!" Finn said, a genuine smile on his face.

"Well Uncle Finn! Do you need me to stay with you for awhile or shall I go see Dad and Pop now?" Rory asked.

"I'm fine. I'm exhausted. I'm just gonna go downstairs and sleep for awhile. Thank you, though. For everything," Finn said sincerely.

"You're welcome. I'm going to get Penny, Maddie and Danny from school first, then I'll go see Dad and Pop. They'll love to see their grandchildren and my kids can keep Nori, Kate and the twins busy so I can talk to Dad and Pop," Rory said.

"Good idea," Finn nodded.

"Alright!" Rory stood up, patting Finn on the knee as he stands "See you later. Call me if you need anything. I love you."

"I love you, too," Finn smiled up at his brother then sat quietly in the living room while he listened to Rory grab his keys and trainers then head out the front door.

He intends to get up and go to the downstairs bedroom to take a nap but instead, he falls asleep right there on his brother's couch.

 

~~~

  
Ozzy hasn't slept much in days and it wasn't just because of jet lag. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Finn. Saw his smile, saw the way he bit his lip when he was concentrating, saw the way he looked when he first woke up in the morning, saw the way he looked when Ozzy would wake up before him and watch him sleeping, saw the way he looked when he was on top of Ozzy, saw the way he looked when he was coming. He saw everything. Every moment they shared together alone, or with Jacob.

He heard him too. Heard his deep voice, his sexy accent, his laugh, the sounds he made when Ozzy was sucking his cock. He couldn't get Finn out of his mind and if he was honest with himself, he didn't want to. He didn't care if he was torturing himself by constantly thinking about the man he loved but couldn't have. It was better than forgetting him and everything they shared, not only in the three months they were a couple but in the six months since they met and were friends first.

Something else he couldn't stop seeing when he closed his eyes? The look on Finn's face when Ozzy broke up with him. It was by far the hardest thing Ozzy has ever had to do. Raising a kid alone from the age of eighteen and doing a one hundred date world tour was a piece of cake compared to having to break the heart of the man he loves.

"Hey. Asshole. Wake up!" Kara came charging into his bedroom, startling him. He grabbed for his phone on the bedside table and groaned when he saw the time.

"For fuck's sake, Kara. It's only seven o'clock. Leave me alone until Jacob wakes up," Ozzy rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head only to have it ripped off a minute later.

"No can do. Not today. It's your birthday or have you forgotten that?" Kara asked as she pulled the blinds open, nearly blinding him.

"I don't give a fuck about my birthday. It's just another day in another year," Ozzy grumbled, reaching for his duvet to pull up over his head but Kara was too quick and she pulled it off him before he could "Kara! Jesus! What if I had been naked under there?"

"Then I would have seen your dick," Kara looked unimpressed, standing at the bottom of the bed with her hands on her hips "I don't know if you know this but, I'm almost thirty, I've seen plenty of dicks before. I'm sure yours isn't any different than the rest. Now get up."

"Why?" Ozzy glared at her like a child.

"Ozzy, it's your damn birthday and while you don't give a fuck, your son does. He's very excited about it. We went shopping for a present that he picked out himself and we also got you a cake so you're going to get up, shower and shave because you look like shit, then you're going to smile and act surprised when your son, your niece and nephew and your sister throw you a little party. If you ruin this for Jacob, I will murder you. Understand?"

Ozzy stared at her for a moment then sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed "Yeah," he spoke softly "You know I'd do anything for Jacob."

Kara's expression softened and she sat down on the end of the bed with a sigh "I know. I know you would. I'm sorry for being hard on you but my job is to take care of Jacob and have his best interests at heart, so when I feel you need a kick in the ass I'm going to give you one. I'm also your friend, though. You've become one of my best friends and I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't tell you you're a god damn idiot."

Ozzy rolled his eyes at her and stood up, not caring he was just wearing boxers, and walked into his en suite. Before he closed the door so he could piss in peace, he said "You've already told me I'm an idiot at least fifty times over the past week."

"Yeah and I'm going to tell you another five hundred times if I have to," Kara called out as he closed the door behind him. He couldn't help but smile a bit. She really was a good friend. She didn't back down ever. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind whether he wanted to hear it or not.

Once he finished pissing, he washed his hands and put his robe on then walked back out into the bedroom where Kara was still sitting on his bed going through her phone.

"You're miserable, Ozzy. Breaking up with Finn was a huge mistake," She started in on him right away.

"Here we go again. Barely seven fifteen in the morning and you're already starting," Ozzy threw his hands up in the air then slumped down onto the bed.

"Shut up," She smacked him on the arm "You know I'm right. You let Harry scare you and make you paranoid."

"I did not!" Ozzy protested "I simply thought about what he said and realized he was right. Seeing each other only two or three times in a year and a half would ruin mine and Finn's relationship. It wouldn't matter how much we love each other. Frustration would take over after months of being apart. It would be hell trying to find a time we can both Skype because of the time differences. We'd end up fighting all the time and probably end up breaking up anyway. It was better to do it now when we've only been together for three months as opposed to when we've been together for a year or two."

"That's all complete and utter bullshit, Ozzy," Kara said, getting exasperated now "I've studied your tour schedule for next year. I've also looked at your promotional schedule for this fall. If you're willing to do some traveling, and I know you are, then you'll have plenty of opportunities to see Finn. Like, when you're here in the states or in Canada, I get why it's not feasible to fly all the way to England when you only have two or three days between shows but there's a full six weeks of your tour that's in the U.K and Europe. When you have two or three days off between shows you can easily get to England from anywhere in Europe. Finn can even come to you sometimes. He doesn't have practice every single day. You could make it work for next year then you'll have time off before you start recording another album and for your next tour you can negotiate to have more breaks, spread it out more. Your first album was huge and your second one will be even bigger, I know it will, so you'll have no trouble getting whatever you want."

"Kara. I can't put Finn before my son. He wouldn't want me to do that anyway. I have to come back here to see Jacob as much as I can when I have breaks."

"Why can't you see them both? Why does Jacob have to be here?" Kara pushed.

"What do you mean why does he have to be here? He's starting school in September. I can't take him on tour with me like I did last time," Ozzy looked at Kara like she was crazy "We've talked about this. He's going to live with my sister and you're going to keep being his nanny and doing all the things you normally do."

"There are plenty of schools in London," Kara shrugged.

" _What_?" Ozzy looked at her incredulously "Are you suggesting I move to England? I can't just move to England!"

"Why not? You're a twenty-three year old adult. You can move wherever you want to. All it takes is a bit of paperwork and you have lawyers and a PA to handle all that for you,"

"Kara! You're insane! New York is our home. I have friends here, my sister is here. I can't just move!" Ozzy's voice was rising now and he knew he had to calm down before he woke Jacob. It was hard, though, when his friend was sitting there all casual like it was so easy to just move to another continent.

"New York is great. I know you love it, so do I, but you said more than once how much you love London when you were there. You can find a nice place for you and Jacob. Maybe Finn would even move in with you eventually. Jacob could go to school there, maybe even the same school as the twins, and he'd be ecstatic. Everyone loves that kid. He'd be friends with his whole class by the end of the day. As for your sister, she's a grown woman with a husband and two kids of her own. She doesn't need you here. You can visit her whenever you want. There's nothing stopping you from moving to England," Kara said, a smug smile on her face.

Ozzy wanted to protest again, come up with some reason she was wrong, if for no other reason than to wipe the smug smile off her face but he couldn't. He couldn't because he knew she was right. He hadn't really thought about it until now, which is beyond stupid on his part, but why couldn't he move to London? He loved it there. He loved it the first time he ever went there and that was long before he met Finn. It was a place he'd enjoy living whether he had Finn in his life or not. It would certainly make things a lot easier if he and Finn _were_ together but...they _weren't_ together anymore, were they? Ozzy broke up with him and it would be pretty presumptuous of him to think Finn would take him back after he broke his heart.

"What?" Kara tilted her head to the side and looked at him quizzically "I can see the wheels in your head turning. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that everything you just said sounds great except for one thing- Finn isn't mine anymore. I broke his heart and I can't expect him to just forgive me or trust me again because, oops, I made a mistake." Ozzy said as he stood up again to head back into the bathroom for a shower.

"I think you're wrong. I think he will forgive you. He'll understand why you did what you did. Sure, you have some things to discuss but nothing that can't be worked out. Apologize and ask for his forgiveness. Sometimes it really is just as simple as that," Kara grinned at him then left the room, closing the door behind her.

  
~~~

After Rory texted to say Finn had arrived safe and sound at his house, Harry busied himself taking care of Ryanne. He fed her, changed her, played with her, and simply held her while she was sleeping. He didn't want to put her down because holding her kept him calm, kept him strong. She was the only thing keeping him from breaking down sobbing again after the events that unfolded earlier.

Niall was home as well but Harry barely saw him. Even though they comforted each other after what happened with Finn, he knew Niall was angry with him, disappointed in him. Harry couldn't blame him, really, since he was angry and disappointed with himself.

"Hey," Niall walked into the nursery, speaking quietly "The kids will be home any minute. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," Harry whispered "Our kids are what I need right now. A good distraction. They never fail to make me feel better."

Niall smiled softly at him then bent down by the rocking chair so he could run a finger gently over Ryanne's cheek "They do have a way of making everything alright, don't they?"

"They do," Harry agreed, staring down at his daughter and husband lovingly "So do you. Even when I don't deserve it."

Niall looked up at Harry, the blue of his eyes just as disarming as it was the first time he saw them "You always deserve it, Harry. Always."

"How can you say that after what I've done?" Harry struggled to keep his voice even, so as not to disturb Ryanne. Niall must have noticed his struggle because he stood up and gently took Ryanne into his own arms so he could place her in her cot. Once she's settled and he kisses her forehead he turns back to Harry and takes his hand.

"Come on. Let's talk in our bedroom so we don't disturb the little Princess," Niall whispered, threading his fingers with Harry's and leading him across the hall. Once in their bedroom, they both sit on the bed and Niall looks at Harry carefully for a moment before he speaks "You made a mistake, darlin'. We've both made plenty of mistakes and we'll make plenty more. I'm not going to stop caring for you because of a mistake."

"Aren't you angry with me?" Harry asked quietly, unable to look Niall in the eyes.

"Yes," Niall confirmed "Hey. Look at me, darlin'. Please," Niall lifted Harry's chin with his index finger so that Harry was looking at him, then he gently cupped Harry's cheek, brushing over the cheekbone with his thumb "You were trying to protect our son. I could never be mad about that. I think you were wrong how you went about it but I'm not angry about that. I'm angry because you knew for almost a week why Finn hasn't come home and why he's so upset and you didn't tell me. You knew how worried I was and you still didn't tell me. That's not okay, Harry. They're my children, too. If something is going on, I need to know. I would never keep anything regarding our kids from you."

"I know. I know I was wrong," Harry nodded his head quickly "I promise, I understand. I also promise it will never happen again. I've learned my lesson. I was so ashamed over what I did, going to talk to Ozzy the way I did, and I just couldn't tell you. I couldn't bare to see the disappointment in your eyes. I knew I was wrong and that I needed to tell you but every time I tried the words just got stuck in my throat. I'm so sorry, Niall. I hope you can forgive me and believe me when I say it won't happen again."

Niall smiled at Harry, a small, close mouthed smile, then he leaned in and kissed him softly "Of course I believe you. I forgive you, too. I know you weren't trying to hurt me or anybody intentionally. I love you, Harry. This is not going to break us."

"I love you, too," Harry surged forward to hug his husband, half laughing and half sobbing "I love you, Niall."

"I know, darlin'." Niall laughed, hugging Harry tightly "Everything is going to work out. I promise you." Niall pulled back and kissed Harry again, quickly "Now. Nori and Kate are picking up the twins and they'll be here any minute so you get yourself cleaned up a bit and meet me downstairs okay? We don't want the kids to get worried."

"Yeah okay. I'll be down in a minute," Harry squeezed Niall's hand then went into their en suite while Niall headed downstairs.

He spent the next ten minutes making sure his eyes weren't red and that he looked normal for the kids sake, then he headed downstairs, smiling when he heard the twins loud chatter. He found them in the living room, laying on top of Niall on the couch. They absolutely adored Niall and Harry adored watching the three of them together.

"Daddy? Where's Ryanne? Is she sleeping again?" Matty asked as he cuddled himself into Niall's side, resting his head full of blonde hair on Niall's chest.

"She is indeed sleeping. She'll be awake soon if you boys want to play with her. Just remember to be gentle okay?" Niall said while running his fingers through both boys hair.

"She's always sleeping," Charlie said grumpily, the look on his face making Harry want to coo.

"That's what babies do, silly little munchkin!" Niall chuckles and starts tickling the boys making them shriek and giggle with laughter.

"Well what's going on in here then?" Harry walked in with a huge grin on his face, making himself known.

"Papa!!" Charlie shrieked "Help! Save us!"

"Hmm are you sure you want me to save you?" Harry lifted his index finger to his chin and acted like he was thinking really hard.

"YES!!!" They both screamed at the same time.

"Okay! You asked for it!" Harry swooped in and picked both boys up off of Niall, one in each arm, then he immediately attacked both their faces with kisses while Niall cackled with laughter in the background.

"Papa nooooo," Matty squealed, struggling to get out of Harry's grip "No more kisses!"

"You love my kisses!" Harry yelled through his laughter.

"It's too many!" Charlie screamed, his face screwed up and his hand wiping at his cheek.

"Well you asked me to save you from Daddy's tickles!"

"You didn't say you were going to drown us in kisses!"

"You should know that by now, Charlie. I love giving kisses to my kids," Harry gave them each one more kiss before he put them down on the floor "Can I have a hug before you both run off to play?"

Charlie rolled his eyes but wrapped his arms around Harry's waist hugging him tight. Matty followed suit then they both ran off toward the playroom with their backpacks, chattering about some game they wanted to play.

When the twins were gone, Harry turned to look at Niall and found him sitting up on the couch with messed up hair and a smile on his face "What?" Harry gave him a confused smile.

Niall shrugged "I just like watching you with our kids. I know I've said it a million times but I'm going to say it again. You couldn't be a better father, Harry. I'm so lucky to be doing this with you."

Harry took a step toward the couch to embrace his husband but was interrupted by the loud sound of children running into the house and a minute later, Penny, Maddie and Danny came running into the living room, practically knocking Harry over. Maddie and Danny attached themselves to Harry while Penny threw herself at Niall on the couch.

"Whoa! This is a nice surprise!" Harry laughed and wrapped his arms around his grandchildren.

"Hi, Poppy!" Maddie smiled up at him, one of her front teeth missing.

"Hi, baby girl," Harry ran a hand down over her long, silky, hair "How are you today?"

"I'm good, Poppy! We came to see you and Grampy!"

"Well I'm glad you did!" Harry bent down to kiss her and Danny on the top of the head "You better go say hi to Grampy,then, or he'll be upset."

Maddie and Danny giggled then ran over to hug Niall while Penny came over to hug Harry. Soon enough, Matty and Charlie came out to see what all the noise was about and then there were five screaming kids all over each other. Thank God the nursery was two floors up or Ryanne would be awake for sure.

"Hey!" Rory came into the room, talking loudly to be heard over the kids "Hope it's okay we stopped by."

Harry rolled his eyes and pulled his eldest son into a tight hug "Of course it is. This is your home, too. It always will be."

"I thought maybe you could use a bit of cheering up from your grandkids today," Rory smiled softly at Harry and Niall "I want to talk to you both for a minute first. Kitchen?"

Harry and Niall both nodded and headed for the kitchen while Rory made sure all the kids were settled and playing nicely in the playroom. When he walked into the kitchen, Harry was practically all over him.

"How's Finn? Is he okay?"

"He's okay, Pop," Rory squeezed his shoulder before he hugged Niall "Hi, Dad. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, Rory," Niall smiled at him "We're just worried about Finn."

Rory pulled back and took a seat at the table, nodding "I know you are. He's worried about you, too."

"About us?" Harry looked at his son, surprised "He shouldn't be worried about us. We're fine. He didn't do anything wrong, I did. I'm sure he told you all about it."

"He did," Rory confirmed "I think he knows as well as I do that you meant well. You weren't trying to hurt him or ruin his life. I did point out to him that you can't be completely blamed for all of this. Ozzy didn't have to listen to you. He made the choice to break up with Finn. He's not blameless. Finn agreed. He's smart. Once he completely calms down he'll be able to talk to you rationally."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair "I screwed up so bad. I don't know how to fix it. I can keep apologizing but it's not enough. I drove our son's boyfriend away. I know Ozzy didn't have to listen to me but I was pretty clear that I felt Finn would get badly hurt if the relationship continued. I don't think he would have broken up with Finn if not for everything I said."

"Probably not but you know what I think?" Rory asked "I think it'll work out. They'll get back together and this will just be a bump in the road that will make them stronger. They just need to talk to each other and work it out. That will be the hard part. Ozzy obviously thinks he's doing right by Finn so he probably won't make the first move and Finn is stubborn as a mule so it'll be tough but I think it'll happen eventually."

"You've known about Finn and Ozzy for awhile then?" Niall asked curiously.

"I did, yeah. I've spent time with them together. I got to see them interacting as a couple. They're really good together. Neither one of them told the other that they love each other but it was obvious to me. Ozzy adores Finn and would do anything for him. I'm not surprised he broke up with Finn now that I know what you spoke to him about, Pop. I'm sure he felt like he was protecting Finn and that actually makes me really happy. I think Finn deserves someone to love him that much, someone who wants to protect him. Once they work everything out they'll have a wonderful relationship. I'm sure of it."

"Oh God," Harry groaned and hid his face in his arms on the table "I've screwed up worse than I thought then."

"Pop no. Come on now," Rory put a comforting arm across his back "You didn't. You couldn't have known everything because they kept the relationship from you. You didn't have all the facts. You just made a mistake, that's all. You were scared for your son so you went and talked to Ozzy without getting all the facts first. Nobody can blame you for that. I'd do the same thing for any of my kids or my siblings for that matter. Please stop beating yourself up. I love you so much and so does Finn and so does Dad. We don't want to see you beating yourself up this way."

"He's right about that, darlin'." Niall reached across the table to link his fingers with Harry's "We love you. We don't blame you for anything so try not to blame yourself anymore, okay? Everything is really fresh right now. When everyone calms down, we'll talk and get everything back to normal."

"I'll try," Harry gave them a small smile "I don't know what I did to deserve the both of you. I love you both so much. What a man you've become, Rory. So incredible. I'm so proud."

"It's all thanks to you guys," Rory grinned at Harry and Niall "My wonderful, crazy parents."

All three men laughed while Rory jumped up to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. When he sat back down they were all quiet for awhile, all lost in their own thoughts, until Rory quietly spoke up again "You know Finn didn't mean what he said right?"

"Hmm?" Harry was shaken out of his thoughts by Rory's voice "What?"

"Finn. You know he didn't mean it when he said you weren't really his parents?"

"Oh," Harry swallowed thickly and nodded "Yeah. We know that," Niall nodded along "We figured he was just lashing out, trying to hurt us because he was hurting so badly. Trying to hurt me more specifically. Your Dad just got caught in the cross fire."

"Good. I'm glad you realize he didn't mean it. He's so upset with himself. I've never seen him so distraught. He was hysterical, convinced you could never forgive him, that you'd hate him now. I told him that wasn't true and I think I've convinced him but when he's ready to talk he could probably use some reassurance," Rory told them.

"Jesus," Niall cursed under his breath "My poor boy. He must know how much he means to us? Nothing he could ever say or do would ever change that. Absolutely nothing."

"I need to talk to him. I need to hold him and tell him it's okay. I can't leave him feeling this way for one more minute. I can't!" Harry jumped up from the table, prepared to head over to Rory's house to comfort his baby.

"Harry-" Niall grabbed his arm to stop him but Harry shook him off.

"Don't Niall! Don't tell me not to go over there! I don't care if he doesn't want to see anybody right now. I can't just leave him feeling the way he does. He needs to know we still love him as much as we always have. He needs to be able to look into our eyes and see it. Nobody is going to stop me so don't even try!" Harry stared both Niall and Rory down fiercely.

Niall held both his hands up like he was surrendering "I was just going to tell you to wait because I'm coming with you."

"Oh. Well. That's...okay," Harry stumbled over his words.

"Are you sure?" Niall asked, his lips twitching up into a smile "Looked a bit like you were about to go all Rambo on me."

"Oh shut up!" Harry said over Rory's laughter, his own laughter bubbling up in his throat.

"Both of you go," Rory said through his laughter "I'll stay here with the kids. I'll text Anna to let her know to come here after work and we'll make dinner for everyone. You and Finn can join us or if you're not up for it then stay at my place and make yourselves something there. Let me know how everything goes okay? Love you both."

"Thanks Rory!" Harry surged forward and hugged his son, kissing him on the cheek "Ryanne will be due for a bottle when she wakes up."

"Got it," Rory nodded "Now get going."

Harry smiled at his son then waited while Niall hugged Rory as well. Afterward they grabbed the keys to Niall's car and headed out the door for the short ride to see their son.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Here's a day after Christmas treat for you all. A new chapter! Your comments on the last two chapters have been amazing and I'm so happy you're all so into the story. Keep letting me know what you think. It makes me happy to hear from you and it's great motivation.
> 
> I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

 

 

Finn is jolted awake by the sound of car doors slamming outside and sits up on the couch, rubbing at his eyes to try and wake himself up. He figures it must be Anna coming home from work since Rory said he was picking his kids up from school and then bringing them over to see Finn's parents.

He plans to go splash some water on his face to help wake him up. The cool water would also be a relief to his eyes that were sore and swollen from all the crying he did before he fell asleep. He was going to wait for Anna to come in first, though, because he wanted to be somewhere in the open so she would see him and know he was there. Walking up behind her when he comes out of the bathroom wouldn't be a good idea. Anna has been deaf for a long time and doesn't scare or startle easy but Finn still liked to have some respect for her and try his best to always let her know when he was around.

Only when the door opened and closed again, Finn could hear voices and a second later he heard his Pop's voice calling out to him.

Finn froze right there in the living room, his mouth hanging open and his eyes darting around the room everywhere. He didn't know what to do. He was so embarrassed by his behaviour earlier. Yes, he's still mad at his Pop but he does realize his Pop meant well. He's heard all the stories of how Rory was so devastated when he lost Anna that he worked himself so hard he ended up in the hospital. He can only imagine how scared both his parents were so he understands his Pop not wanting to see Finn go through the same thing. Being mad is no excuse for what he said to his parents, though, and he's so embarrassed and ashamed of himself and doesn't know if he can look his parents in the eye right now.

What are his options though? Run out the back door and hide in the pool house? His parents didn't raise him to be a coward and he wasn't about to disappoint them even more by becoming one now.

"Finn? Are you in here?" His Dad's voice broke through his thoughts and he looked toward the doorway in time to see his Dad walk in and stop right in his tracks with his Pop right behind him.

"Finnegan. Baby..." His Pop's voice was all chocked up and it got to Finn. It was like a knife to the heart to hear the distress and sadness in his Pop's voice. When he looked into his tear filled eyes, he saw an overwhelming amount of love there, love for him, and it broke him.

"Pop..." Finn's voice came out strained as tears started to build up in his eyes and his lips started to tremble. His chest felt heavy and his breathing picked up as sobs clawed at his throat, finally to be released when he hears one loud sob escape from his Pop's mouth "Pop, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

He completely broke down, loud, ugly sobs coming from his throat and tears falling so rapidly from his eyes he could barely see. He felt arms wrap around him tight and he immediately smelled the familiar scent of his Pop's cologne. He buried his face in his Pop's neck and curled his fingers into the fabric of his jacket, holding on for dear life as he cried. He felt another body come up beside them and realized it was his Dad putting his arms around both him and his Pop and holding them tight.

"It's okay," Finn heard his Dad's voice and realized he was crying too. It really shook Finn to hear that. He's seen his Dad cry before but it's something that happens very rarely. Maybe when he's alone with Finn's Pop he opens up and cries more but in front of people it's Finn's Pop who is more emotional. He cries at sad films or shows on the telly. Not his Dad though, and it killed Finn to hear him crying now, especially since he did nothing wrong. He wasn't apart of what his Pop did, yet Finn had lashed out at him as well, telling him he wasn't his father either. He would never forgive himself for that.

"Dad," Finn cried into his Pop's jacket, his chest heaving "Daddy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I swear I didn't mean it."

"I know. I know, Bub. I know you didn't," He felt his Dad's shaky breath on the back of his neck and his fingers in his hair "It's okay. It's okay, Bub. We love you so much, yeah? You're our everything. You, your sisters and your brothers. We would do anything for every single one of you. Anything."

If possible, Finn started crying even harder at his Dad's words. He didn't know why. Maybe because of the sense of relief he felt, hearing from his Dad's own mouth that he wasn't mad at him and still loved him. That he didn't take Finn seriously when he said his Dad wasn't really his father.

Of course, when he said it to his Pop, he didn't mean it either and he wanted to make sure his Pop knew that, "Pop? Papa," Finn lifted his head slightly so he could look up at his Pop "I-I love you. I'm so s-sorry. I-I didn't mean it. I didn't-I didn't-"

"Shhh," His Pop kissed his forehead then cupped the back of his head in his hand and gently pressed Finn's face back against his neck "I know you didn't mean it, baby. Oh God I know you didn't mean it. I'm so sorry for everything. I love you so much, Finnegan. Don't you ever forget that, okay? Nothing will ever change how much I love you."

Finn managed to nod his head against his Pop's neck and for the longest time that was the last movement between the three of them as they continued to stand there crying. No more words were spoken either.

It was a long while later when Finn finally exhausted himself and his sobs turned into quiet sniffles. He felt his Dad move away from them and his Pop's hand slowly moving up and down over his back in a soothing manner. When his Dad came back he had a box of tissues and Finn gratefully took a bunch and walked over to the couch to sit down so he could blow his nose and clean up his face.

"Are you alright?" His Pop asked him gently, his hand resting on Finn's shoulder.

"I'm okay, Pop. I was just feeling so guilty about what I said. It doesn't matter how angry I am or how hurt I am, that's no excuse to lash out and say things just to hurt you. I know better than that. You and Dad taught me better than that. I was so embarrassed and ashamed. I didn't know how to face you," Finn explained.

"I don't want you to feel that way, Finn. The fact of the matter is that this is all my fault. I started all of this with my mistake so it's all on me. You wouldn't have been hurt and angry if not for what I did. I understand why you lashed out and I knew you didn't mean what you said, we both did. We know you love us just as much as we love you so here's what I think we should do," His Pop said, looking him in the eye "I think you and I both made mistakes, we've apologized for them, and now we should try to put it behind us and move on. Would that be alright with you?"

"Yeah. That's alright with me. I'd really like that. I want to come home and just...get everything back to normal," Finn said.

"I know you're probably still angry with me about Ozzy and that's okay. I was wrong to talk to him the way I did. I should have let you two work everything out together. If it didn't work out and you got hurt I would have hated it but at least you would have made your own decisions. I took that away from you and I can never express to you how sorry I am for that. I want to make it up to you, do whatever I can to fix things. I can talk to Ozzy and-"

"No, Pop," Finn shook his head and covered one of his Pop's hands with his own "It's okay. I'd rather you didn't do anything. I want to get back together with Ozzy more than anything. I really love him but I don't want him to call me or come back here just because you call him and say you made a mistake. It wouldn't feel right. I would never know for sure if he did it because he wanted to or because he felt he had to. I need to fix this on my own. Please."

"Okay," His Pop nodded and grabbed him in another hug "Okay, baby. Whatever you want. I'm just so sorry about all of this. I hope you can forgive me someday."

"I think I already have, Pop," Finn whispered "You didn't do this to hurt me. You were trying to protect me. I know that. I can't stay mad at you for that. I love you."

"I love you, too, baby," His Pop sniffled against his neck "Thank you. I do need to tell you, though, that I need to call Ozzy. Not to talk about you. I need to apologize to him for my behaviour. He's like a son to me and he didn't deserve a lot of the things I said to him."

"I think he'd really appreciate that," Finn pulled back and smiled at his Pop "He loves you, ya know? His father is an asshole and he really has come to think of you as a father figure. He looks up to you. I'm sure he misses you."

His Pop looked down at his hands in his lap, a sad look on his face "He's a really good man. A good father. I couldn't ask for anyone better for you, to be honest. If you work things out and get back together I'll be ecstatic. He'll treat you right, I know he will. I'm just so sorry I let my fear and worry keep me from seeing that before."

"He really is great. Smart, funny, really caring. We would literally talk for hours sometimes. We never ran out of things to talk about," Finn smiled shyly "I really hope we do work things out. I miss him. A lot."

The sound of a phone dinging with a text message made Finn jump and both he and his Pop turned to look at his Dad who was grinning like an idiot.

"Sorry," His Dad laughed "That's Rory. I sent a picture of the two of you being all cute. He's sent back a bunch of emoji's I don't really understand. Our son is strange, Harry. Very strange."

"I mean...he's got your DNA so..." His Pop shrugged.

"Oi!" His Dad reached out and smacked his Pop across the arm, sending his Pop into a fit of laughter "My DNA is only part of why he's strange."

"What's the other part?" Finn couldn't help but laugh while he asked.

"He's Irish. We're all crazy!" His Dad grinned and the three of them dissolved into laughter again.

"Anyway," His Dad said when they all stopped laughing "Rory and Anna are making dinner. You guys ready to head home?"

"I am. Finn?" His Pop turned to him.

"Yeah," Finn nodded "Let's go home."

  
~~~

  
For the next few days, Finn kept to himself as much as possible. He still missed Ozzy and he was still heartbroken so he wasn't really the best company. He didn't ignore his siblings when they wanted his attention but he didn't seek them out either, which is something he would normally do. He liked hanging out with them when he could. Thankfully his sisters were busy with exams so he didn't have to pretend to be happy too much since they were always studying. Ryanne was too young to care so it was just the twins he had to fake it for and they were easy.

One thing he didn't have to fake being happy for was his brothers last footie match. That had happened yesterday and Finn was lucky enough to be able to attend since the match was on a Saturday at the end of May and his last match of the season with Chelsea wasn't until today.

It was an emotional day for sure but it was also a happy day. Arsenal did a great job in honouring Rory. A video was shown of some of his greatest moments with the club and the fans sang and chanted his name for ages. Finn had sat proudly in the stands with his whole family, cheering just as loud as all the fans.

When the match was over, the whole family trickled down toward the locker room where they were let inside to join in the celebrations the team was having, celebrating Rory's last match and sending him into retirement.

It was an amazing day and for a few hours Finn was able to forget everything and just immerse himself in the celebrations for his brother. It all eventually ended, though, and when Finn had gotten home last night and got into bed, his thoughts immediately returned to Ozzy and his heart ached from missing him so much.

Of course he ended up not sleeping very well and now he felt tired and lethargic, like he was always one step behind everybody else. That wasn't good since it was approaching midday and the start of Chelsea's last match of the season. He certainly didn't feel like he could run around and perform at the top of his game for ninety minutes but he didn't have a choice. This was his job, a job he loved and it certainly wasn't a job he could take a day off from because he was tired. This wasn't a nine to five office job where he could call in sick whenever he felt like it and sit around all day eating junk food and watching Netflix. This wasn't high school where he could fake sick because he didn't feel like going. He was an adult now and he wasn't going to let a break up keep him from doing his job. From doing what he loved.

When the match started, he could tell from the first whistle that he wasn't on. He was lethargic and his reflexes were just a bit off, yet he still managed to score and put Chelsea up one-nil. He suspects that's the only reason the manager wasn't chewing him out and threatening to sit him for the second half. He's grateful for that and vows to himself to pick it up in the second half. Unfortunately he doesn't really get the chance.

They're only in the fifty-second minute when his reflexes let him down completely and he's just a second too slow getting out of the way of a collision. He sees it all happening like it's in slow motion. He's going for the ball, so is a Tottenham player. He feels himself sliding across the grass and his toe hitting the ball. He sees the other players spikes get caught in the grass and sees as the players body shoots forward, sending his other foot right down on Finn's exposed knee.

The pain is excruciating. So excruciating all he sees is white light behind his eyes. He can feel the white, hot, burning feeling as something rips apart in his knee. There's a loud, rushing sound in his ears but in the distance he can hear screaming. He can feel hands on him, tapping his face and squeezing his hands and arms. He hears someone calling his last name over and over again, asking him if he's okay, if he can hear them. He tries to answer them, tries to pick his head up off the grass and open his eyes but when he moves and opens his mouth, all that comes out is vomit. After that, everything went black.

  
~~~

  
Niall is sitting in a waiting room in the A&E department of a hospital, waiting on news of his son. It's been awhile since Finn was brought in, yet they still don't have any information except that he's being examined and having tests. It's excruciating having to wait but if he lets his rational side take over, he knows that's all they can do. Just wait. They can't be in the room and in the way of the doctor's and nurses working and they can't be in the room when x-rays are being taken and MRI's are being done. So he's using every once of his strength to remain calm and be there for his family.

"God, what is taking so long? I don't know how much more of this waiting I can take," Harry muttered while pacing around the room in front of Niall and Rory.

"I know, darlin', believe me, I know," Niall reaches out his arm to stop Harry in his tracks, curling it around his waist and pulling him in close. He tips his head back to look up at his husband, his fingers slipping a few inches up under his shirt and rubbing soothingly over his skin "The doctor will come tell us what's going on as soon as he gets the test results and they know what's going on. The team doctor's are here as well, keeping an eye on everything. He's getting the absolute best care. We just have to be as patient as we can."

"I know," Harry sunk his fingers into Niall's hair and held Niall's head against his stomach for a moment before he let go and sat down in the chair next to Niall, linking their fingers together in his lap "I just can't get the image of him going down out of my head. It makes me sick."

"I know," Niall whispered against Harry's temple "Me too."

"Hey," Rory leaned forward from where he was sitting next to Niall, phone in hand "I've been texting with Anna. Everything is fine at home. The twins have calmed down thanks to grandpa Bobby and Granny Anne has Nori and Kate helping her cook a feast for everyone. Granny Maura has Ryanne and apparently refuses to let her go."

Niall snorted out a laugh and shook his head fondly. They were blessed with an amazing family and he was grateful to have them here right now. His parents and Harry's parents had come to London for the weekend for Rory's last match the day before and stayed for Finn's match today as well. His brother and his wife were here as well and they had all gotten together to take care of his and Harry's children as well as Rory's children so that he, Harry and Rory could spend as much time as they needed to at the hospital. Niall suspected Anna would show up soon as well. She went to help get all the kids settled and now that they were, she'd most likely be coming to support her husband. Especially knowing how important Finn is to Rory.

"Nori is demanding an update as soon as we have one and says she'll keep blowing up my phone if she doesn't get one soon," Rory continued.

"I know how she feels. I think a lot of people here know how she feels," Niall tips his head toward the other side of the waiting room where Finn's best friends Alexis, Kellan and Asa sat along with some of Finn's teammates. The ones he was closest to on the team and hung out with outside of football.

The team doctor walked into the room with a chart in his hand a minute later and Niall, Harry and Rory all scrambled up out of their chairs to greet him, Niall never taking his eyes off the man's face. Niall has known Frank since Frank started working for Chelsea eighteen years ago. He knew the man well and was searching his face for any sign that something was terribly wrong. Unfortunately Frank's face remained neutral. Damn doctors and their ability to mask their emotions on their face.

"Niall," Frank held his hand out for Niall to shake when he got close enough. They shook hands then Frank did the same with Harry and Rory before he got down to business "I have privileges here at this hospital so I've taken the lead on Finn's care. As you probably saw at the match the Tottenham players foot came down hard on Finn's knee. He passed out for a bit but that's how the body reacts to extreme pain sometimes. It's completely normal and he woke up and was completely alert while we examined him. We brought him for x-rays and an MRI and I've got the results. It's a pretty common sports injury. Torn ACL and MCL as well. The damage to the knee is pretty extensive. He'll need surgery to repair the ligaments. It's booked for tomorrow morning. Until then all he can do is rest. We've got the knee elevated and it's being iced to keep the swelling down. He's also on an IV to receive pain medication. This type of injury is very painful so the dosages are high. He'll probably be a bit out of it but he's not feeling any pain. You can come back and see him whenever you're ready. Do you have any questions?"

Niall's mind was racing. The main feeling he was feeling was relief. His son was okay. He was awake and there was nothing life threatening wrong with him. The feeling he was feeling the most after relief was dread. Working in the sports world and being a sports fan, he knew what an ACL injury alone meant and Finn had torn his MCL as well. Recovery time for ACL alone was at least six months.

"Frank," Niall started, his mouth suddenly feeling really dry "Give it to me straight here. I know recovery time for ACL tears requiring surgery is at least six months. He's torn his MCL as well. What are we looking at here?"

Frank sighed and tucked the chart under his arm "I'm afraid you're right, Niall. It's at least six months. MCL injuries aren't usually as severe as ACL but we're definitely looking at a recovery time of six to nine months at least. It depends on how the surgery goes. Once he heals from the surgery itself, we'll start physical therapy and that's when we'll find out how strong the knee is."

"Oh my God," Harry breathed out "He'll probably miss almost every match next season. Not to mention next year is a Euro Cup year. He'll be devastated, Niall."

Niall swallowed thickly and gripped Harry's hand hard. Finn would absolutely be devastated. He lived and breathed football. Having to sit out for possibly nine months would kill him. He'd go crazy sitting around watching his team playing without him. "Does he know yet?" Niall asked Frank.

"He does," Frank nodded "He's a smart kid. As soon as he woke up and remembered what happened he wanted to know if it was his ACL. He felt it pop when he went down. I told him we'd know more after the MRI so he refused anything but mild pain killers until we got the results. He wanted to have a clear head when we spoke. He knows everything you do."

"How did he take it?" Niall asked, his heart practically beating out of his chest he was so worried about his son.

"He was very stoic. Not showing at all how he's feeling. He just took in everything I said, assured me he understood everything, then agreed to more pain medication when I asked if I could give it to him," Frank answered.

"Okay," Niall nodded "Thanks Frank. I appreciate you looking after my son."

"I'd do it even if it wasn't my job. I've known that kid since he was a toddler. He's a great kid and a great footballer. I'll make sure everything possible is done to get him back up on his feet again after the surgery. You have my word on that," Frank shook Niall's hand again "I'll take you to his room now."

"You two go ahead. I'm just going to fill his friends in and call Nori. I'll have her put me on speaker so I can tell everyone at once," Rory said "I'll come up afterward."

"Okay love," Harry hugged their eldest son then grabbed on to Niall's hand again "We'll see you soon."

Frank led the way out of the waiting room and to the lifts. They made their way to the third floor and to a room at the end of the hall. Frank left them outside the door after telling them to let him know if they needed anything then they quietly pushed the door open and walked in to find their son laying in a hospital bed with his leg elevated and his eyes closed like he was asleep.

"He looks alright," Harry whispered as they took a seat in chairs by the side of the bed "He's not too pale or anything. He doesn't look like he's in any pain."

"I imagine he's pumped full of pain killers and feeling pretty damn good right now," Niall chuckled "He looks so young doesn't he? When he's sleeping?"

"Yeah," Harry smiled fondly at their son and slipped his hand gently into Finn's, his thumb gently moving in circles over Finn's skin "Young and peaceful. It's funny isn't it? How he looks twenty-five when he grows his beard out, yet when he's freshly shaven like he is now he looks sixteen again."

Niall hummed in agreement and rested his head on Harry's shoulder "Sometimes when I'm at work I'll pull my phone out and look at his baby pictures. I get sad sometimes because I just wonder where the time went, ya know? One minute he was my tiny little Bub, toddling around the house giggling, and the next he's all grown up, a man, with a deep voice and facial hair."

"I'm still your little Bub," Finn said quietly, his eyes slowly opening and trying to focus on Niall and Harry.

"Hi love," Harry smiled at Finn and reached up to run his fingers through Finn's hair "How are you feeling? Any pain?"

"No. No pain. Just tired," Finn turned his head on the pillow and smiled groggily at Niall "Hi, Dad."

"Hi, Bub," Niall smiled at Finn and reached out to put a hand on his arm, right above where Harry was holding his hand "Frank gave you some pretty powerful pain killers. You'll probably sleep pretty solidly until morning."

"Yeah," Finn swallowed and licked his lips, his eyes already starting to close again "Water?"

"Right here, love," Harry picked up a cup of water from the table and held the straw to Finn's lips so he could drink some water. When he had enough, Harry put the cup back and leaned in to kiss Finn's forehead "Go back to sleep, love. You need your rest. We just wanted to come let you know we're here and we love you very much. Rory is here, too. He's with your friends, letting them know how you're doing."

"Okay," Finn nodded his head, his eyes finally falling closed again "Love you..."

Niall smiled and stood up, kissing his son's forehead and making sure the blankets were pulled up over his chest so he wouldn't get cold. Afterward he took Harry's hand and they quietly left the room to let their son rest.

"I think we should wait here for Rory. He'll probably be here any second now. Finn's asleep but you know Rory will want to see for himself that he's okay," Harry said.

"I agree. We can all head home together afterwards. Finn is going to sleep all night so we should go home and have a good meal, spend time with our other kids, then get a good nights sleep so we can see Finn tomorrow morning before the surgery," Niall wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and tucked his head in the crook of Harry's neck "It's been a long day."

"It has," Harry held him tight and kissed the top of his head "Our baby is going to be okay, though. He'll have a long road ahead of him with physical therapy and everything but he's strong and we'll support him every step of the way."

"I love you, Harry. Thank you for marrying me," Niall mumbled against Harry's neck.

"What?" Harry's laughter filled his ear and he couldn't help but smile. He loved that laugh "Where did that come from?"

Niall laughed and tipped his head back enough to kiss Harry's lips "Situations like this always make me think of other things we've been through and how we got through them together. Maybe I could get through tough times without you, I don't know, but I do know that I don't want to. I never want to."

"Me either, baby. I love you, too,"

  
~~~

  
Ozzy's day had been extremely long. He had meetings with his management as well as his record label, then he had to head home because Jacob was having an epic temper tantrum that not even Kara could handle. He somehow managed to lock himself in the bathroom and refused to come out for anyone but Ozzy.

When Ozzy got home, the little boy let him into the bathroom where he cried and screamed in Ozzy's arms because he wanted to see Finny and he didn't understand why Ozzy and Kara wouldn't take him back to England to see him. It completely broke Ozzy to hear his son so upset because he missed Finn. Not only because Ozzy missed him too but because it was all Ozzy's fault Jacob was hurting. He let Jacob get close to Finn. He didn't think things through enough. He was selfish. He fell in love with Finn and he wanted to be with him so badly he didn't protect his son the way he should have.

After he got Jacob to calm down, he put him down for a nap then went into his own room for a shower and a really good cry. He was devastated that his son was hurting, devastated that he hurt Finn, and he was devastated that he had to give up the man he loved with all his heart. He didn't know how much more he could take and that became abundantly clear when he stood with his back pressed against the shower wall holding his hand over his mouth so that Kara and Jacob didn't hear him sobbing.

After his shower he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with his son and hold him tight but he couldn't. He was expected at an event supporting the LGBTQ community and he wouldn't miss it and let them down. It was an important cause to him. He never had any big issues with his sexuality, no backlash when he came out but he knew that wasn't the case for all young people who were trying to find their way and he wanted to do everything he could to show his support for them.

So he put on a happy face and let his stylist in when he arrived with a few choices of outfits for Ozzy to choose from. Then he chatted away to his hairstylist while she did his hair and by the time they were done he was considering trying out acting because he thinks he did a really fucking good job in pretending everything was okay.

In fact, he kept the act up for hours. The event started at seven and it was almost one in the morning now as he walked through his bedroom door and started taking his suit off. He spent the whole night acting happy and chatting with all kinds of different people, pretending everything was okay in his life when all he wanted was to have Finn back and have him wrap Ozzy in his arms and never let go.

Finally the long day is over now and all he wants is to get undressed and get in bed to watch sports centre. The Yankees had a game that night and he wanted to watch the highlights since he couldn't watch the game live. So after he removed his suit and hung it up he washed his face, brushed his teeth and climbed into bed, falling back on the pillows exhausted.

"Alright. Let's see here..." Ozzy muttered to himself as he turned the TV on and changed it to ESPN....right when they were just finishing up a report on Finn and something about surgery. "What the fuck? Surgery? Finn had surgery?"

Abandoning the remote on the bed next to him, he grabbed his I-pad and quickly typed in Finn's name, his heart sinking when he sees all the headlines. He clicks on sky sports website and begins to read the article, his heart beating out of his chest as he reads about what happened. He felt even worse when he watched the video of Finn going down then a minute later vomiting all over the grass and passing out. It looked awful.

After watching the video and reading the initial article he clicks on the follow up article that includes an official statement from Chelsea explaining Finn's injury and that he had surgery to repair his knee just that very morning. Well Monday morning. It was after midnight so it was technically Tuesday now but none of that even mattered. Finn had surgery to repair his ACL and MCL and Ozzy didn't need to finish the article to know Finn would be recovering for a long time. Growing up watching all kinds of sports, he's seen athletes with the same injury before and he knew Finn was looking at six months or more of recovery time.

"Oh my God," Ozzy whispered, closing the cover on his I-pad and putting it back on his bedside table. This was not good. He knew how much Finn loved football, loved playing football and not getting to play for half a year or more would kill him. He was a fierce competitor. He would hate sitting on the sidelines watching his team competing without him.

Ozzy's heart ached for his ex-boyfriend and he had to press his fingers to his eyes to keep the tears from spilling over onto his cheeks. He should be there right now. He should have been there when it happened. He should be sitting next to Finn's hospital bed, holding his hand and telling him how much he loved him. He should be _there_ for him. Instead he's thousands of miles away and for what?

From the moment Ozzy made the decision to end things with Finn, he had this niggling feeling in the back of his head that he wasn't doing the right thing no matter how much he tried to tell himself he was. He kept brushing it off though, burying it and forgetting about it because he convinced himself that Harry was right. That his and Finn's relationship would only deteriorate until they were both miserable and resentful of each other. That it was better to end things now and get the pain over with as opposed to breaking up two years from now. What if Harry was wrong, though? What if Ozzy agreed with him too quickly? What if he and Finn had just stuck it out and got through a couple of tough years then got to reap the reward after that? What if he gave up too soon and completely ruined any chance of ever having a life with the man he loves?

"Oh my God. Have I completely fucked up?" Ozzy whispered into the empty room. He covered his face with his hands and slowly shook his head back and forth, wondering what he was going to do. He wanted to be there for Finn. He wanted nothing more than to jump on a plane right now and go to Finn, tell him that he loves him and beg him for forgiveness. Was that what was best for Finn, though? Ozzy had hurt him badly and now he's going through something terrible. Would it be insensitive of him to just show up? Would it be arrogant of him to think Finn would be happy to see him? Take him back?

"Oz? You still awake?" Kara tapped lightly on his door. He quietly told her to come in and as soon as she saw the TV on and saw his face, she seemed to know what was wrong "Oh. You've seen it then?"

Ozzy nodded and hugged one of his pillows to his chest "How long have you known?"

She came to sit next to him on the bed, sliding an arm across his shoulders "I saw it earlier when I was watching the baseball game."

"What do I do, Kara? I'm worried sick about him even though I don't have the right to be anymore," Ozzy rested his head on his friend's shoulder, suddenly very grateful he has good friends he can count on no matter what.

"You know what I'm going to say, Oz. My opinion hasn't changed. You never should have left Finn to begin with. Now is your chance to go back to England and get him back."

Ozzy picked his head up off Kara's shoulder and scoffed at her "I can't just go to England and get him back! I hurt him. It would be pretty damn presumptuous of me to just show up and expect him to forgive me like nothing ever happened. He'd probably laugh in my face and that's only if I even get past Harry to be able to see him. Niall probably knows everything by now, too and Rory is probably pissed at me for breaking Finn's heart. I doubt I'd get anywhere near Finn."

"Oh for God's sake," Kara turned her body so she could grab Ozzy by the shoulders and look him in the eyes "They're not the mob, Ozzy! They're not going to shoot you in the head if you try to see Finn. They're parents and a brother who love Finn but they also respect him and if he wants to see you they're not going to prevent that from happening."

"It doesn't matter. He has no reason to forgive me. As much as I want to be there for him, my going there would only make things worse. He's going through so much right now. I can't show up and make it worse for him," Ozzy shook his head sadly.

"Of course he has a reason to forgive you! He's in love with you, you colossal idiot! I don't care if he hasn't told you that and you haven't told him! He loves you. It's written all over his face when he looks at you and when he talks about you. You just need to apologize, Ozzy. That's it. Explain why you broke up with him, tell him you love him and that you were scared but you realize you made a mistake, then ask him to forgive you. Sometimes it really is just as easy as that,"

"I don't know..." Ozzy lifted his hand and started chewing on his fingernails nervously. He wanted to do everything Kara just said, he just didn't know if it was the right thing. He didn't want to be selfish. He just wanted to do what was best for Finn.

"What don't you know?" Kara asked him "The way I see it, you've got nothing to lose. If he says he can't forgive you and he doesn't want to give you another chance then you won't feel any worse than you already do, will you? Nothing will have changed from how they are right this minute. However, you do have everything to gain. Finn is a reasonable person. He knows what you two face going forward and he'll understand you being scared and wanting to protect him. I really believe he loves you too much not to give you a second chance."

Ozzy is quiet for a long time. He leans against his friend with his head on her shoulder, his mind racing as he thinks about everything she said. She was definitely right. He had everything to gain and nothing to lose. What if he hurt Finn again, though? He must be reeling from finding out how bad his knee injury is. For a guy like Finn, who is competitive and loves and breathes Soccer, being told he can't play for six to nine months must be taking a big emotional toll on him. On top of that, if he has any setbacks, he could potentially not be ready to play for his country in the Euro Cup the next Summer. What if Ozzy showing up and begging him for another chance only causes him more emotional pain? What if he's depressed because of his injury? Ozzy doesn't want to make things worse for him. He can't.

"I can practically hear you thinking," Kara chuckled after awhile "I'm going to go to bed and leave you to it. Think about what I said and if you decide to go to England you don't have to worry about Jacob. I'll be here with him and if everything goes well in England I can be on the first flight with him."

Ozzy nodded his head and slid down onto his back, pulling the blankets up over his chest "Thanks, Kara. For everything."

"You're welcome," She turned around and smiled with her hand on the doorknob "Goodnight, Oz."

"Goodnight," Ozzy turned off the TV and turned out the lights when she was gone, then rolled over onto his side facing the window while he thought about Finn and what the hell he was going to do.

  
~~~

  
After the surgery, Finn spent the rest of the day sleeping or groggy from the anesthesia and pain medicine. It's the day after now, though, and he feels well rested, clear headed...and terrified. It's like he can't get his brain to shut down. All he can think about are the months and months he has ahead of him of sitting around unable to do anything, feeling useless and inadequate. Football wasn't just a job to him, he loved it. He lived and breathed it, loved the feeling of his legs burning from running around for ninety minutes, loved the sweat dripping down his back and his breath coming hard from his lungs. He always felt fulfilled after playing football and now that was gone for the next six to nine months. He couldn't even play with the twins and it killed him because they loved it so much and so did he.

He was also terrified because in the back of his mind he knew there was a possibility he'd never play football professionally ever again. Nobody had said as much to him but he knew. Once his knee healed and he started physical therapy, he knew there was a chance his knee may never be strong enough again to withstand the rigours of professional sports. The most he could potentially do is play friendly matches with friends or his brothers. His dreams could be taken away from him and every time he fell asleep, he startled awake in a cold sweat, fear taking over his body.

"Hey," A warm hand enveloped his own and he jumped a little, startled by the touch. When he looked to his left he saw Rory sitting next to his bed with his hand on his and his parent's sitting next to him, both looking concerned "Alright Finny?"

Finn swallowed and struggled to get his breathing under control. He was most definitely not alright. He could feel cold sweat trickling down between his shoulder blades and his pulse practically jumping out of his neck. He looked at his brother again and anger started to consume him, making him rip his hand out from under Rory's and put it under the blanket instead.

"What's wrong, Finn?" His Dad asked gently, the concern on his face only making things worse. He didn't want to be pitied, he just wanted to play football! "Are you feeling okay? Are the meds making you feel strange? You could be having a bad reaction to them maybe."

"Nothings wrong. I just want to be left alone," Finn said in a calm voice. None of this was his parents or Rory's fault. As angry as he was, he couldn't take it out on them, they didn't deserve that.

"Are you sure, baby?" His Pop asked gently "We're here for you, anything you need. You don't have to be brave and go it alone."

"I'm fine, Pop, really. I just need some time alone. Why don't you go home and see everybody for a bit then come back later? I'll probably just nap," Finn lied. He knew he couldn't sleep. Not peacefully anyway.

"If you're sure that's what you want?" His Dad stood up, his Pop standing as well and they immediately linked their fingers together, their bodies reacting without even realizing it. For some reason the action made the anger flare up in Finn and he found himself wanting to lash out.

"It's what I want. Please." Finn said, using all his strength to keep from losing it with his family.

"Finny come on. I really don't think you should be alone right now," Rory said, reaching out for Finn again "Let us stay with you. Everything is going to be fine, ya know? Let us show you that."

That was it. Finn couldn't take it anymore. Couldn't hold back his anger "Really Rory?" He spat angrily "Everything is going to be fine is it? Pretty easy for you to say isn't it? You're not the one sitting in this _fucking_ hospital bed with a busted knee are you? No! You're fresh off your last match! Retired after over fifteen years playing professional football! You got everything you wanted! Do you want to know what I got, Rory? Do you? I got one fucking year! ONE! So don't sit there and tell me everything is going to be fine!"

"Finn-"

"Shut up!" Finn yelled, grateful for the fact he had a well known family so he could have a private room "Just get out, Rory! Get out of my face!"

"Finn please!"

"I SAID GET OUT!" Finn screamed, then he sat back and watched as Rory's face crumpled. He watched his brother quickly try to hide his hurt as he stood up to leave the room. He didn't do a good job at all. Finn could see the hurt all over his face and he regretted everything he said immediately but he couldn't seem to get his mouth to open to take the words back. All he could do is watch in horror as his brother ran out of the room, his Pop running after him after having some sort of short conversation with his Pop with their eyes.

As soon as the door shut behind Rory and his Pop, all the anger immediately left his body and he broke down crying, his Dad there like he always is, to hold him in his arms.

  
~~~

  
"Rory! Please slow down love!" Harry ran after his son, his heart breaking after seeing the hurt on his face.

"It's okay, Pop. I'm okay. I'm just going to go outside for some air," Rory said, the strain in his voice making it very evident that he wasn't okay.

Harry followed after him until they got outside. They were on the side of the hospital, away from the busy street in the front of the building. There were tables and chairs near the building, making it obvious this was where staff and visiting people came to smoke a cigarette.

Rory took a seat on one of the benches and Harry wasted no time sitting down right next to him "Whatever you're feeling...it's okay. You don't have to hold yourself together in front of me. I just want to be here for you the best I can. I love you. You're my baby. I don't care how old you are. You'll always be my first child. You'll always be precious to me."

"I know, Pop," Rory said quietly. He turned his head to look at Harry, tears trickling silently down his cheeks "I love you, too. The luckiest day of my life was the day I met you. I was already extremely lucky to meet Dad for the first time and find out he was an awesome guy who loved me immediately. I'm part of him, though, so his love for me came naturally. I didn't know what to expect from you. He told me how amazing you were and I had no doubt it was all true but you were getting this fifteen year old kid you didn't ask for and you'd only been married for six months. You didn't have to accept me the way you did and love me the way you do. I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

"Thank you, love," Harry lifted a hand to cup his sweet boys cheek. He brushed some tears away with his thumb and smiled at him with tear filled eyes "That means so much to me. I hate to see you so upset. You know- you know Finn is just scared and upset right? He didn't mean those things he said to you."

Rory nodded and wiped at his cheeks with his hands "I know. I know he didn't mean it. His words didn't hurt me, it-it was the look on his face. I could see the fear in his eyes, Pop. I could see it and I can't stand it! He's- God, Pop, you know how important he is to me. You know how much I love him. In a way he's like-he's like my own son. I know he isn't. I know he's my brother. I was just-I was almost an adult when you and Dad adopted him and I spent so much time with him. Remember how I'd babysit all the time so you and Dad could go on dates? The first time I watched him overnight was when you guys went to The Brits. You stayed at the hotel where the after party was because you'd be drinking. I felt like a proper adult that night. I was eighteen of course but he was my responsibility that night and I took it very seriously. I would have protected him with my life if something had happened that night."

"I know you would have. I've never seen a bond like the one you have with Finn, before. You love and protect each other always. It makes me really proud. Your Dad, too." Harry smiled proudly at his eldest son.

"I just want him to be okay, Pop. I don't want him to feel like his life is over because it's not. Even if the very worst happens and he can't ever play football professionally again, his life won't be over. How can we assure him of that if he won't let us be there for him?" Rory asked, the look on his face so broken.

"He will, Rory. He'll let us in. It's all so fresh right now. The surgery was just yesterday. He needs time to adjust, that's all. Once he's healed and can start physical therapy he'll feel much better. He'll be doing something to help himself instead of just sitting around. He probably feels useless right now. Give him a few days and I'm sure he'll come around. Then we can help him take things one day at a time." Harry reassured his son.

Rory blew out a long breath and slowly nodded his head "Okay. You're right. I know that. I'll give him some time and space."

Harry reached over and put a hand on Rory's back, rubbing it soothingly "Why don't you go on home to your wife and kids? They need you, too and Finn is okay for now. Your Dad and I are here if he needs anything. Go home and talk to Anna, she always calms you down and makes you feel better."

"I don't want Finn to think I've left him!" Rory said, looking distraught.

"He won't. He asked for time alone. He'll understand you're giving him that. He knows you love him so much. Don't worry, love. Just go home and get some rest. It's been a long three days."

"Okay," Rory said, albeit reluctantly "Call me if anything happens please and tell him I love him and that I'm sorry."

"I will,"Harry stood up and pulled his son into a hug "I love you so much, Rory."

"I love you, too, Pop," Rory hugged him back "Tell Dad I love him."

"I will. See you tomorrow, yeah?" Harry smiled reassuringly at his son.

"See you tomorrow, Pop."

Harry watched Rory walk away for a moment, then he headed back inside toward the lifts where he saw a familiar figure waiting, "Ozzy?"

Ozzy turned around quickly, his eyes wide for a moment before he seems to gather himself and stands up straighter with his shoulders squared like he's ready for a fight "Harry."

Harry can't help but look at him for a minute. He can't deny that he misses Ozzy a lot. For almost four years now they've been good friends and Ozzy had become like a son to him. Once Ozzy became a hit and went on tour and everything, they didn't get to see each other much but they talked almost everyday-Harry checking in to see how things were going and Ozzy calling him to ask for advice on different things. They were close and Harry hopes he hasn't completely ruined that.

Before he can say anything, Ozzy starts talking again.

"Look, Harry- I know you don't want to see me. I know you don't want me here but I'm not going to let you drive me away. Not this time. I listened to you before and I let you convince me the best thing for Finn would be for me to ends things before they got even more serious. I got scared and I made a mistake breaking up with him. He's the best thing that's ever happened to be besides Jacob and I never should have given him up. I know everything you told me was true. We would have a rough time of it but I should have spoken to Finn about it. I should have made sure he fully understood how hard things might be sometimes and then let him make his own decision because he's an adult. He's an adult, Harry, but I treated him like a child and made the decision for him,"Ozzy stopped and took a breath then looked Harry right in the eye and continued.

"I'm in love with Finn. I'm so in love with him it's ridiculous. I haven't even told him that yet so maybe I shouldn't have told you that first but you needed to hear it because you need to know how serious I am. I'm not backing down. I made a mistake and I hope he can forgive me. If he can't, I'll respect his decision but it _will_ be his decision. Not yours and not mine. Just like it will be his decision if he wants to see me when I get in this elevator and go upstairs," Ozzy points a finger at the bank of lifts in front of them "If he agrees to see me you're not going to stop me. I won't let you. You're so important to me, Harry and I'm so grateful for everything you've done but I won't let you keep me from the man I love if he wants to be with me too."

Harry stared at Ozzy, biting his cheek to keep a huge smile off his face. It was just too cute how Ozzy was standing in front of him, professing his love for Finn, then making sure Harry knew he couldn't stop him from going to see Finn. It was touching and heartwarming and Harry was so happy Finn had someone to love him so much. If he had any doubts before, he doesn't anymore. Ozzy is perfect for Finn and he hopes Finn does Forgive Ozzy and take him back. Harry doesn't want to see his son lose something good because of his stupid mistakes.

"Are you done?" Harry asked, struggling to keep from laughing.

"Yeah," Ozzy nodded "I guess I am. I'm going upstairs to ask if Finn will see me."

"No you're not," Harry reached out to keep Ozzy from pushing the up button on the lift, laughter bubbling up in his throat as he grabs him into a huge hug "Not without letting me hug you first."

Ozzy's body was stiff at first. He clearly had no idea what Harry was doing so Harry hugged him tighter and waited for Ozzy to hug him back. When he finally did, Harry laughed and swayed them back and forth for a minute before he pulled back and held Ozzy at arm's length "You're an amazing young man, Oz. I'm so incredibly proud of you and I'm so, so sorry for the way I treated you. I was so wrong and I had no right to barge in and tell you how to live your life. You're absolutely right when you said Finn is an adult and it's his decision what he wants to do with his life. I shouldn't have interfered. I want what's best for him and after talking to him and hearing what you had to say, I really believe that's you. I love you so much, Ozzy. I think of you like a son. I hope you can forgive me for everything I've done because I'd miss you so much if you weren't in my life."

"Really?" Ozzy whispered, his eyes full of tears and his chin trembling a little "Do you-do you mean it? You're okay with me being with Finn? You don't-you don't hate me?"

"I never hated you, Ozzy, not for one second," Harry said emphatically "I was just scared and I handled it really badly. I'm ashamed of my behaviour. I'm older than you and I'm a parent. I should have handled that so much better and believe me, Finn gave me hell for it. It was bad but we're getting through it and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it up to you the same way I'm doing everything to make it up to him."

"I'm sorry," Ozzy whispered sadly "I never meant for you and Finn to fight. I was-I was just trying to do the right thing because I love him so much and I-and I-"

"Shhh," Harry reached out and cupped Ozzy's cheek "I know you were. This isn't your fault. It's mine. I confused you and scared you with all my talk about there being no hope for your relationship and to end it now before you both got in too deep. I projected my fears on to you and it was wrong of me. I have no way of knowing if you two can make it work or not. Maybe you can! The point is, it should have been yours and Finn's decision and I shouldn't have interfered. I promise from now on I won't."

"Thank you," Ozzy whispered, tears welling up in his eyes "I just hope he gives me another chance. It's been-it's been so hard without him," Ozzy's voice broke and it hurt Harry's heart to hear it "He's just-he's so special. I never stop smiling when he's around or even when he's not, I'm still smiling because I'm thinking about him. I've never met anyone as kind as him before or as sweet. I think-I think he's about as perfect as a human being can get."

"Oh my God," A huge grin took over Harry's face "You've got it so bad. You weren't nearly as bad as this when you were with Emily."

"Emily wasn't Finn. He's incredible, Harry, but then, you know that already. You've known him his whole life, plus part of the reason he is the way he is, is because of you and Niall. You're the best parents I know. Your kids are all really lucky to have you."

"Thank you," Harry pulled Ozzy into another quick hug "It means a lot to hear you say that. To know you still see me that way after what I've done."

"We all make mistakes. You were trying to protect Finn. So was I. We should probably both stop trying to protect him and let him tell us what he wants, right?" Ozzy said sheepishly.

"You're absolutely right," Harry laughed and slid an arm across Ozzy's shoulders, reaching out with his free hand to press the up button for the lift "My baby is all grown up. I need to let him make his own decisions, even if I don't agree with them."

"What about if Finn agrees to give me another chance?" Ozzy asked as they stepped into the lift and the doors closed in front of them "Would you agree with that decision?"

"One hundred and ten percent. I couldn't ask for a better partner for my baby boy. Deep down I always knew that. My fear just got in the way." Harry answered truthfully.

"Do you think he'll give me another chance?" Ozzy asked quietly while looking down at his feet and scuffing his boot against the floor.

"I think-" Harry leaned in close and squeezed Ozzy's shoulders lightly"-I'll smack him across the head if he doesn't."

Ozzy burst out into laughter just as the doors opened up onto the floor Finn was on. Harry laughed along with him then led him down the hall towards Finn's room. When they got to the closed door, he turned to Ozzy and asked him if he was ready.

"As I'll ever be," Ozzy said as Harry reached for the door.

~~~

  
Finn couldn't believe he'd done it again. He let his emotions take over and hurt another person he loves with all his heart with the words that came out of his mouth. It wasn't Rory's fault what happened to him. It was just a freak accident on the football pitch. Rory was just trying to help him, make him feel better and Finn repaid him by lashing out at him and kicking him out of his hospital room.

"I'm such a selfish arsehole," Finn sniffled as he pulled back from his Dad's arms "First I lash out at you and Pop about Ozzy, now I'm lashing out at Rory for no reason at all. He was just trying to help me. I'm a horrible person."

"Stop it, Bub," His Dad said gently, his thumb brushing over Finn's cheek "You're the least selfish person I know and you're definitely not horrible. You've been hit with a lot lately, Finn. Your relationship ended, you found out about your Pop's part in it and you haven't had time to recover from all of that when you injure your knee and find out you're going to miss half or even all of the next football season. Your emotions are all over the place. You're scared and angry and you have every right to feel that way."

"Maybe but I don't have a right to take it out on other people. That's not right and I know that. I hate hurting people, especially people I love," Finn stopped for a moment, staring down at his fingers in his lap, then he slammed a hand against his hospital bed in frustration "God! Everything has turned to such shit lately. I can't believe it. How I treated Rory..."

"Rory loves you with all his heart and he knows you love him the same way. Nothing you said to him will change your relationship. That's one of the many great things about family. We love each other unconditionally and if we're having a bad day and take it out on each other, we know we'll be forgiven. We know we won't lose them. Rory will be right back here by your side tomorrow, I promise you. He'll give you the space you asked for then he'll be right back as soon as you ask him too." His Dad assured him. He seemed so confident, too, so Finn couldn't help but believe him.

"Do you think he'd come back right now?" Finn said in a whiny voice, making his Dad laugh.

"You know he would," His Dad smiled at him "He'd do anything for you. The bond you two have is incredible. I certainly never had that with my brother when we were growing up."

Finn smiled at his Dad's words and was about to say something when the door opened slightly and his Pop poked his head in "Hey. Everything okay in here?"

"I'm okay, Pop," Finn smiled to reassure his Pop "I was just thinking about texting Rory to see if he'll come back. I was shitty to him and he didn't deserve it. Is he okay? You went after him right?"

"He's absolutely okay, baby. He's only worried about you. He knows you didn't mean anything by what you said. I just sent him on home to see Anna and the kids so you could have your space for awhile. I'm sure he will come back if you text him but I think you're going to want to hold off on that for a bit," His Pop said with a mischievous smile on his face.

"What? Why?" Finn asked "And why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason. I just ran into someone downstairs who would like to see you, that's all," His Pop said, the weird smile still on his face.

"Pop," Finn groaned then lowered his voice so whoever was outside couldn't hear him "I'm really not up for seeing anyone right now. Not after what just happened with Rory. I feel like shit and just kind of want to be left alone."

"I understand," His Pop turned serious and nodded his head slowly "I think you'll really want to see this person though, Finny. Trust me on this, okay?"

Finn looked from his Pop to his Dad and his Dad just shrugged and shook his head, indicating he had no idea what his Pop was talking about either.

"Alright I guess?" Finn said uncertainly "Tell whoever it is to come in."

"Perfect!" His Pop smiled wide again then disappeared outside the door for a second. When it opened again, thirty seconds later, it wasn't his Pop that was pushing the door open. It was Ozzy.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter! I know it took me a little longer than normal to post it. Thank you all for being patient and continuing to read my stories. Your feedback has been amazing! Let me know what you think of this chapter. I love reading your comments :)

 

  
**June 2043**

  
Ozzy nearly lost his breath when he walked into Finn's hospital room and saw him face to face for the first time in three weeks. He looked tired, his eyes were red like he had been crying, his hair was a mess and he looked a bit pale yet he was still the most gorgeous man Ozzy had ever seen and he was still in disbelief that he had been his for the three months they were together. Now he just hoped he'd get the pleasure of calling Finn his again, hoped that Finn could forgive him and give him another chance.

Ozzy could see that Finn was in complete shock, unable to speak as he stared wide eyed at him. Finn's Dad was there too and he was the first one to react, getting up off the bed and walking over to Ozzy with a huge smile on his face.

"It's so good to see you, Ozzy," Niall shook his hand and gave him a one armed hug "I think it's quite obvious you came here to speak to Finn so Harry and I will go out for coffee and give you two a chance to talk. That okay with you, Bub?"

Finn seemed unable to look away from Ozzy, just as Ozzy couldn't look away from him but he did manage to tell his Dad it was okay "Um. Yeah. That's-yeah, it's okay with me."

"Alright. We'll see you later then. Let us know if you need anything," Niall leaned down to kiss Finn's forehead then he grabbed his jacket off the chair and met Harry by the door, immediately taking his hand in his. Right before they left, Niall winked at Ozzy, completely surprising him. Niall clearly wasn't mad at him like Ozzy thought he would be.

"Hi," Ozzy said quietly once the door closed behind Harry and Niall "Um. Thank you for letting me stay. I-I wasn't sure if you would. I didn't know what to expect really. Certainly not for your Dad to hug me."

Finn swallowed and cleared his throat awkwardly "My Dad really likes you. He always has."

"I-" Ozzy stood in the middle of the room, nervously fidgeting with his hands and chewing on his lip ring "I know. That was before...everything though."

Finn pushed himself further up the bed, resting his back on the pillows behind him. He winced a bit when his leg moved and Ozzy wanted to fuss over him, ask if he was okay, go get a nurse, but he didn't. He wasn't sure if those type of gestures would be welcome anymore.

"My Dad...when he found out you and I had been dating, he-he was shocked but if he hadn't found out at the same time that we'd broken up he would have been happy about it. He was pretty mad at my Pop for interfering. So was I," Finn said quietly, his eyes cast down at his hands resting in his lap.

Ozzy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger for a minute, taking a deep breath to try and keep himself composed. When he looked up again, Finn was watching him curiously, the blue of his eyes a bit duller, probably from the pain meds and fatigue he must be feeling, yet they were still gorgeous and mesmerizing and Ozzy could help but think about the times he would stare into Finn's eyes while they were making love.

"Um," Ozzy cleared his throat and gestured toward one of the chairs by Finn's bed, silently asking if he could sit down. Finn nodded so Ozzy took a seat and got comfortable before continuing to speak "I never meant for your parents to fight because of everything. I...I can't even explain how bad I feel for causing issues between them and between you and your Pop. I know Harry said everything is good now, he said you worked through it and your parents certainly seem to be okay with each other but- God I never meant for any of this to happen. I never wanted to mess up your relationship with your Pop."

"You didn't cause issues between me and Pop or between my parents. My Pop did that. My Dad and I were both angry but when we calmed down we talked to him and we realized he wasn't trying to hurt anybody. He was just trying to protect me and went about it the wrong way. He made a mistake but it was out of love and I can't hold a grudge over something like that. Everything is fine between us and the same goes for my parents. So please don't hold on to any guilt. It wasn't your fault. I really need you to know that. It wasn't your fault." Finn said emphatically, his eyes pleading with Ozzy to believe him.

"Finn I-"

"Nope," Finn held up a hand to stop him "It's not your fault, Ozzy and it's over anyway. My dad, my Pop, me- we're all fine. Okay?"

"Okay," Ozzy nodded his head and looked down at his hands in his lap. He was twisting the ring on his middle finger around and around and he hadn't even noticed. He doesn't know how long he was looking down at his hands for when Finn spoke again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. Anything," Ozzy stopped fidgeting and looked at Finn eagerly. He had a feeling he wasn't going to be leaving this hospital room without looking completely pathetic but he didn't care. He would do whatever it took to get Finn back.

"Did you only come back here because I got hurt? Because you feel sorry for me?" Finn asked, a neutral look on his face. Ozzy could see the insecurity in his eyes, though, and he absolutely hated it.

"No," Ozzy answered immediately "Not even close. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't worried about you. I'm not going to pretend my heart didn't sink into my stomach when I saw what happened on TV. I'm not going to pretend that all my instincts didn't tell me I needed to be here for you when Chelsea announced you had surgery and you wouldn't be able to play football for six to nine months. I know what football means to you and I felt sick knowing what you must be going through. I won't lie about any of that. It's not the only reason I came back, though. It's not even the main reason."

"Why-why did you come back then?" Finn asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper and his eyes boring into Ozzy.

Ozzy looked right back at him and knew it was now or never. He needed to pour his heart out to the man he loved. He needed to leave nothing left unsaid. "I came back because it's been three weeks since I've seen you but it felt like three years. I thought about you every second, I dreamed about you, I missed you, I barely functioned without you. The only reason I got up everyday was for my son. I came back because I made a big mistake and I need to know if I can make it right."

Finn sat silently for a moment, staring at Ozzy, his face expressionless and his body completely still except for the even rise and fall of his chest when he breathed. He was only silent for a minute but it was the longest minute of Ozzy's life "What-what mistake?"

Ozzy let out a long breath and pressed his lips together as his eyes welled up with tears "Letting you go," His voice broke on the word 'go' and he had to stop to compose himself for a minute "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but letting you go was by far the worst. That day- that day three weeks ago when I broke up with you- I'd never felt pain like that in my life. It consumed me. I couldn't breathe it hurt so much. I just- after Harry talked to me I got so scared. Everything he said made sense and I didn't want what happened to your brother to happen to us. I didn't want us to hate each other in two years and I didn't see any other out come. I realize now that I was completely wrong. I should have told Harry it was our decision _together_ how we chose to handle our relationship. I should have talked to you. Instead I treated you like a child and not the very intelligent adult that you are. I made the decision for both of us and I had no right. I was scared but you could have helped me with that. We could have gotten through it together. I know maybe I've realized all of this too late but...I had to tell you anyway. I had to find out if you can forgive me. Finn..." Ozzy couldn't hold back any longer, he broke down crying, his hand covering his face. He was surprised a few seconds later when he felt Finn's hand covering his free hand in his lap and he took his hand away from his face to see that Finn was crying too.

"It's not- it's not too late," Finn said through his tears, squeezing Ozzy's hand "It's not too late."

Ozzy half laughed and half sobbed in disbelief and half stood out of his chair to cup Finn's face between both his hands. He looked into his eyes as they both cried and smiled softly at him "I love you. I am completely and absolutely in love with you."

Finn managed to laugh through his sobs and throw his arms around Ozzy's neck, hugging him close and whispering in his ear "Me too. I love you, Ozzy. I love you so much."

"Thank God for you," Ozzy whispered then he buried his face in Finn's neck, taking in his fresh, clean scent while they both cried against each other.

After five minutes they pulled apart and Ozzy smiled at Finn as they both brushed their thumbs over each other's cheeks to wipe their tears away. When they both started giggling, Ozzy leaned in and gently brushed his lips against Finn's. It was just a small kiss since they were both smiling too much to do much else but it was perfect anyway "I missed you so much, Finn. I'm so sorry. More sorry than I'll ever be able to tell you."

"It's okay," Finn whispered, his thumb tracing over Ozzy's bottom lip, his lips turning up in a smile when he traces over Ozzy's lip ring "I understand why you did what you did and I don't blame you for it. You were trying to do what was best for me because you love me." Finn paused for a moment then kissed Ozzy hard and quick "God! I can't believe you love me."

"Of course I do. I fell for you pretty quickly. I didn't say anything because I didn't want it to seem like it was too soon. I didn't want to put pressure on you and our relationship. I wish I had told you, though. It broke me when you said you weren't good enough," Ozzy paused for a second to keep from crying again "I don't like to hear you say that. I want to promise you something right now, okay?" Finn nodded for Ozzy to continue "I promise you I will never make the same mistake again. I won't make decisions on my own. We're a team, right? So I'll make sure to always talk things through with you and not treat you like a child. Another thing I promise is to make sure everyday that you know just how good you are. I'm going to make sure you never again think you're not good enough."

"I love you," Finn told him again, his chin trembling a bit because he was so emotional "Thank you for coming back here and talking to me. I need you so much right now. I was trying to suppress it because you weren't here and I didn't know if I'd ever see you again. Now that you're here, I realize how badly I needed to see you and-and touch you. Ozzy..."

"It's okay. It's okay, baby. I'm here now. I'm never leaving you again, okay?" Ozzy said softly as he wrapped his arms around Finn again and kissed his temple. Finn melted into him and started crying, his body shaking in Ozzy's arms as the crying turned into heart breaking sobs "Hey. It's okay, baby. I've got you now. Let it all out."

Finn sobbed loudly against his neck and Ozzy had to bite his lip to keep from breaking down himself. He knew this was about the surgery. He had a feeling this was the first time since the injury happened that Finn fully let go so he held Finn close and slowly manoeuvred his body so that he was sitting on the bed next to Finn and letting him curl his body into his as best he could with an injured knee.

For the next little while, Ozzy held Finn, brushing his fingers through his hair and kissing his temple while he cried and cried until he had nothing left. When his crying quietened down to just a sniffle, Ozzy laced their fingers together and asked "Do you want to talk about it?"

Finn hid his face in Ozzy's shirt for a moment before pulling back and taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly "I don't know what to do, Ozzy. I'm so scared. It's suffocating sometimes. It's like- I'm used to waking up every morning and going for a run or going to practice. I'm used to matches every week. I feel like a part of me is missing now that I can't do that everyday. I don't know what to do with myself. I'm lost."

"Well," Ozzy smoothed a piece of hair behind Finn's ear "I'm here to help you and I'm not going anywhere. How about we take this one day at a time? First step is to get you well enough to go home. You'll be in your own bed with your own things. You'll sleep better without nurses coming in and out all night. The more rest you get the stronger you'll become right? Then once you're home the next step will be healing well enough so you can start physical therapy. Once you start, you'll feel more in control of everything. You'll have exercises you can do and a regiment to follow. You set the pace. Meanwhile, I'll be there right next to you, helping you however you need me to. Maybe-maybe when everything gets to be a bit too much you can focus on me? I-I mean-I don't mean to be presumptuous but I'm hoping I can call you my boyfriend again and maybe when you're feeling down it'll help you to focus on me and our relationship? I want to build a life with you, Finn. Something special. I just want you to know that."

Finn picked his head up off Ozzy's chest and looked up into Ozzy's eyes, a slow smile spreading across his face "I want that to. You, me and Jacob."

"Yeah? You're okay getting really serious with someone who has a kid?" Ozzy felt himself getting choked up. Jacob would be the luckiest little boy in the world to have Finn in his life permanently.

"Are you kidding?" Finn raised an eyebrow at him "I love that little boy so much. He's brilliant and perfect. I've missed him so much. He gives the best hugs just like his Papa."

"Yeah," Ozzy couldn't keep the huge grin off his face "He's the best cuddler. I'm so lucky to have him. I know I was young when he was born but I wouldn't trade one second I've had with him. He's brought so much joy to my life. I'd do anything for that kid."

"You're the best Dad. It's one of the reasons I fell so hard for you. Seeing how good you are with Jacob, how much you love him..." Finn's voice trails off and he simply smiles up at Ozzy and Ozzy gets it because he always feels the same way whenever he sees Finn with Jacob.

"He misses you, too, ya know. Locked himself in the bathroom and had a fit because we wouldn't bring him back to England." Ozzy said, his mind wandering back to that day and how heartbroken he was to see his son so upset. He never wants to experience anything like that ever again.

"Oh no," Finn frowned "Poor Jakey. We have to call him so I can talk to him."

"Okay," Ozzy agreed easily "I'll be back to visit you tomorrow and we can call him on FaceTime."

Finn stared at Ozzy for a minute then he started laughing, completely confusing him "What? What are you laughing at?"

"Sorry," Finn covered his mouth to hide his grin "I just think it's funny you think you're leaving here now that I've got you back."

Ozzy chuckled and rolled his eyes "I didn't mean I was leaving right now. I'll stay until visiting hours are over."

"Nooo," Finn pouted "Stay all night. Please? It's lonely here at night when I can't sleep. I want you here to hold me. I don't want to let go now that you're back."

"I know. Neither do I," Ozzy leaned in for a kiss, letting his lips linger against Finn's so he could peck his lips once, twice, three times before pulling back just enough to rub their noses together and making the both of them smile "I love you so much. I want nothing more than to stay here with you. The nurses will just kick me out, though. It's their job to make sure everything is calm and quiet for the patients."

"Normally, yeah, but I'm a football player and the team Doctor has privileges here. My Pop has spent a night, so has Rory. They were too worried about me to leave. I had no say in it," Finn laughed "I'm asking you to stay, though, and I'm sure my Doctor will be fine with it."

"Okay. Of course I'll stay. I even have my bag with me and everything," Ozzy pointed at the duffle bag he left just inside the door and laughed "I had no idea how things would go here so I only packed enough for a few days."

"So you don't have a hotel or anything booked then anyway," Finn said.

"Actually when I got off the plane I had texts from my PA. She booked me a room at a hotel but she also contacted the real estate agent that is in charge of the apartment where I stayed when I was here recording with Harry. It's only been three weeks and it hasn't been rented out yet. She said if I'm staying for a long time she'll sort it out for me,"

"And are you staying a long time?" Finn asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

"I'm staying as long as you'll have me," Ozzy kissed him again, unable to help himself now that he's allowed to do that again.

"Then you better call your PA and get that apartment rented," Finn whispered against Ozzy's lips "I don't ever want you to leave."

"I'll text her," Ozzy got his phone out of his pocket and sent off a quick text to his PA "Hey. What do you think of that apartment anyway? I don't think I ever asked."

"I like it. It's big, yet cozy somehow and all the windows let in a lot of light during the day. The area is really nice, too. Why do you ask?" Finn wondered.

Ozzy shrugged and laid his phone on the bed "I don't know. I really liked living there. It has plenty of room for me, Jacob and Kara. Also for you when you come over," Ozzy grinned "I was thinking maybe I'd buy the place down the road. I really like Kensington and if I'm going to be here a lot so I can be with you I might as well have a place I own here."

"You'd be okay with that? For real?" Finn asked, a serious expression on his face.

"Buying an apartment in London? Of course. I mean, I have plenty of money so that's not an issue and really I have nothing to lose. Even if the worst happened and you and I didn't work out I could lease it or sell it. It would be an investment. I don't plan on us not working out though. I'm so in love with you I can't think straight sometimes," Ozzy told Finn, a small smile on his face.

"That's good to know but that's not what I meant," Finn said "I meant you'd be okay with leaving America, leaving your home, to live in a foreign country? I need you to be honest because I don't want you to end up resenting me."

"Oh baby," Ozzy lifted their hands and kissed Finn's fingers where they were linked with his "I promise you that will never happen. I love London. I have since the very first time I was here and that was years before I met you. I would be happy for Jacob and I to live here and one of the good things of being financially secure now is that I can jump on a plane and visit my sister or my friends in New York whenever I want. I won't be missing anything if I'm not in New York whereas I'd be missing you if I didn't live here. I want to be here. One hundred percent."

"Okay," Finn whispered "Thank you. Don't think I don't know what a sacrifice you're making so we can be together. It means the world to me. I love you so much."

"I'd do anything for you, Finnegan Horan. All you have to do is ask," Ozzy said, holding Finn close to him.

"What about Jacob? If you're staying, do you need to fly back to New York and get him?" Finn asked, his voice starting to sound tired.

"Kara will come over with him. When she was bitching at me about making a big mistake letting you go, she encouraged me to come here and talk to you and she said if everything went okay she'd be on the first flight over with Jacob," Ozzy laughed.

Finn laughed as well and cuddled his body in even closer to Ozzy's like he was trying to settle down and get comfortable "I knew I liked Kara for a reason! When will you have her come over?"

"A few days probably. I'll wait to hear back from my PA about the apartment then I'll get her to hire a cleaning company to make sure the place is ready to move into and then I'll buy a bunch of groceries for us. Hopefully it won't take long. Three or four days,"

"I hope so," Finn sounded like he was falling asleep "I miss my little man. Can't wait to see his smile and get a hug."

Ozzy's heart soared when he heard Finn talk about his son that way. He knew it was crazy but he could already see the three of them as a family sometime in the future, Finn as a second father to Jacob and Jacob calling him Dad. He could see a kid of their own maybe in five or six years, preferably with Finn's genes. He knew a lot of people would say he was crazy, that he was moving too fast. They were only together for three months before breaking up and now getting back together but he didn't care. They weren't going to get married and have kids tomorrow but that didn't mean Ozzy couldn't think about it all he wanted.

"He missed you, too, baby. I have no doubt when he sees you he won't let you go for at least a week," Ozzy chuckled.

"Good," Finn mumbled "I want to call him."

"You're about two seconds from falling asleep right now," Ozzy laughed "Why don't you take a nap and when you wake up we'll call him okay? We have lots of time thanks to the time difference. It's still very early in New York."

"Don't leave," Finn mumbled as he made himself comfortable against Ozzy's chest.

"I won't. I'll be right here holding you when you wake up. I promise. I love you, Finn. Sweet dreams," Ozzy said softly.

"Mmhmm," Finn hummed "Love you, Ozzy."

Finn was asleep within seconds and Ozzy lay there with him, holding him and feeling like the luckiest man alive.

  
~~~

  
"Do you think it's safe to go back to the hospital now?" Harry asked Niall after they finished dinner. They had decided to come home and spend time with their kids rather than go for coffee. They figured Finn and Ozzy needed a lot of time alone to work things out. More time than a cup of coffee down the street would allow.

So they came home to be with their kids. Harry had helped his Mum and Nori make dinner for everybody while Niall had played with the twins in the living room and helped Kate with her maths homework. Now everyone was finished dinner and it had been four hours since they left the hospital. Harry would be lying if he said he wasn't dying to know what happened between Finn and Ozzy.

"I think it should be fine, darlin'" Niall said, reaching for Harry's hand "He hasn't called us or Rory so I'm sure everything went okay. How about we just pop in and see how it's going? If they want more time alone we'll just say goodnight and see Finn tomorrow."

"Okay. That sounds good," Harry smiled and kissed Niall's cheek, then he went to kiss the kids goodbye and tell his Mum where they were going. Once everyone found out Finn's surgery went well and they all had a chance to see him, Niall's parents and brother went home while Harry's Mum and stepdad stuck around for a few more days to help them out at home until Finn is released from the hospital.

Ten minutes later they were ready to go and they decided to walk to the hospital since it was a warm Spring night and it was only a ten minute walk away. They took their time, strolling along holding hands, talking quietly about different things like their children, grandchildren, when Niall was due back to work after paternity leave, when Harry had more auditions with the x-factor. It was perfect to Harry. He loved quiet moments like these, walking with his husband, holding his hand, showing him off to the world. Harry never got tired of it. Niall was gorgeous inside and out and he wasn't ashamed to say he liked people to know Niall was his husband and they couldn't have him.

"Hey. Where'd you go?" Niall nudged Harry's shoulder gently with his own and looked over at him with a half smile on his face.

"Nowhere. I was just thinking about how gorgeous you are," Harry grinned at his husband, laughing when Niall scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"No you weren't!"

"Yes I was," Harry nodded, a big smile still on his face "I love walking with you like this. I know paps still take pics of us but it's not nearly as crazy as it was twenty years ago. We can stroll down the street like we are now and just be us without anybody interrupting us. It's amazing."

"I love it too," Niall said, letting go of Harry's hand so he could link their arms together and end up holding one of Harry's hands with both of his "It's nice how the quiet moments we have together seem to mean even more as we get older. I've always loved being alone with you but I guess I started to appreciate it more once we had kids and it wasn't as easy to find time anymore."

"I know what you mean," Harry leaned down and kissed Niall's forehead gently. They reached the front entrance to the hospital and made their way inside, smiling at a nurse who seemed to recognize them and said hello to them. They got to the lift and quickly made it up to Finn's floor, stopping just outside the door to Finn's room and looking in through the rectangular glass window in the door.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing, H?" Niall turned to him with a huge grin on his face.

"If you're seeing our son cuddling fast asleep with his maybe boyfriend then, yes, I see it," Harry said, a shit eating grin on his own face "Oh my God, Niall. Look how cute they are!"

"I know!" Niall was grinning so wide his face must hurt and his blue eyes were sparkling "Look at Ozzy, H. How he's holding Finn so protectively."

"Yeah," Harry nodded and wrapped an arm around Niall's waist to pull him in close to his side "Thank God I didn't ruin everything for them. Ozzy is an amazing kid. I know he'll treat Finn well. I know he'll love and take care of him. I've always known that. I just wish I hadn't let my fear get in the way for awhile."

"Hey. None of that now. It's over. They seem to have worked things out and you and Finn are fine. Let's just look ahead to the future and forget the past in this case, yeah?" Niall said gently.

"Yeah. I think I can do that," Harry smiled "I have to get in there and take a picture, Niall. They're too cute!"

Niall laughed but stepped back so Harry could quietly open the door and take pictures of the two sleeping boys cuddled together. He knew Finn wouldn't be mad at him for taking them. Especially since Finn was the first person he would be texting the pictures to.

"Having fun?" A soft, amused voice sounded in the room, making Harry jump and almost drop his phone. When he looked over at the bed he realized it was Ozzy and that he was wide awake and grinning at Harry.

"Hi," Harry whispered and tiptoed inside the room with Niall right behind him "Did we wake you?"

"No. Finn's taking a nap and I promised I wouldn't leave so I've just been working off and on on my phone and thinking about things," Ozzy said, his fingers absentmindedly running through Finn's hair.

"Soooo," Niall dragged out the word "Can we ask how everything went or...?"

Ozzy looked down at Finn sleeping on his chest, a fond smile on his face that made Harry's heart melt "Finn is a really special person. He's incredible and I know without a doubt I'm the luckiest man in this world right now because this beautiful man right here in my arms loves me and has forgiven me for my mistakes and has given me a second chance."

"He is really special," Harry said, getting choked up "It makes me really happy that you realize that. You know what you have in him and you'll treat him the way he deserves to be treated. I can see how much you love him. I'm so happy you worked things out. I promise I won't interfere ever again."

"It's okay," Ozzy laughed quietly "We both made mistakes didn't we? We both learned from them, though, and I certainly don't hold any grudges against you. You were trying to protect your son because you're a good father. My own son means everything to me so I get it. I would rip off my own arm for my little boy. I get it."

"I know you do. You're a wonderful father, Ozzy. I'm so proud of you," Harry reached out and squeezed Ozzy's shoulder. "Hey. I just thought of something. Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

"I do. Your son has forbidden me from leaving this room so I'm staying here with him tonight," Ozzy said with an amused smile on his face.

"Damn right you are. I'm not letting you out of my sight," Finn said, his voice muffled against Ozzy's shirt.

"Hey you," Ozzy kissed the top of Finn's head and ran his knuckles down over his cheek "Good nap? How are you feeling?"

"The best nap," Finn lifted his head up and planted a kiss on the corner of Ozzy's mouth making Ozzy smile a bit shyly. Harry bit his lip and glanced over at Niall who grinned back at him then mouthed the words 'so cute'. Harry couldn't agree more.

"How's your knee feeling? Do you need any pain meds?" Ozzy asked.

"It's okay. It's a dull throb right now. I don't think my last dose of meds has completely worn off yet. I'm fine for now," Finn answered then he turned to look at Harry and Niall "Hi Dad and Pop."

"Hi, Bub. We just came to see how you're doing and it looks like everything is going really great," Niall smiled at their son.

"It is going great. I'm very happy at the moment," Finn smiled happily "Ozzy and I had a long talk and everything is good. I'm also really glad you and Pop know about us now. I mean, you already know him so I don't have to introduce him or anything but at least now you can get to know him better, as my boyfriend. Especially you, Dad. Pop already knows him pretty well but you don't."

"Well I'm looking forward to getting to know you better, Ozzy. Once Finn is released from the hospital I hope we'll be seeing you around our house quite a bit?" Niall asked, a genuine smile on his face.

"If that's okay with you?" Ozzy asked uncertainly "I want to spend time with Finn, obviously, but I also got to know the twins a bit while I was working on my album and Jacob became great friends with them. I know he'd love to come over and play with them again. I can't wait to get my hands on little Ryanne as well. I've seen all the pictures on your Instagram, Harry. I can't wait to meet her."

"You're welcome at our house anytime, Ozzy. Jacob too. He's an amazing little boy and I always loved having him around," Niall said.

"Absolutely. The both of you can come around whenever you want. You don't have to ask," Harry added.

"I don't mean to be changing the subject but I'm starving. Do you think you could get me some food that isn't hospital food?" Finn asks, making Harry, Niall and Ozzy laugh.

"Sure Bub. What would you like?" Niall asked.

"Nothing too big. Maybe a grilled chicken wrap from the sandwich shop a couple of blocks away?"

"Okay. I'll get you some chips as well. How about you, Ozzy? You must be starving after getting off a plane and coming straight here? What would you like?" Niall asked.

"Oh. I like everything. I'll just have what Finn is having," Ozzy moved to reach for his wallet and Harry had to laugh at the look on his face when Niall smacked at his hand.

"Don't even think about it! I'll take care of dinner. You just keep that smile on my son's face, yeah?" Niall said, winking so Ozzy knew he didn't mean it in a threatening way.

"I intend to," Ozzy says seriously before he smiled at Niall "Thank you. I'm pretty hungry, too, actually."

"We'll get going then," Harry said "We won't be long. Do you want a chocolate shake to drink, Finn?"

"Ohhh yes! I haven't had one for awhile. You want one too, Oz?" Finn turned to look at Ozzy, his blue eyes positively shining. Harry was so happy for him right now, his heart felt like it might burst.

"I definitely want one. I'll take a vanilla one though. I like to dip my fries in it," Ozzy said with a grin.

"Oh my God that's gross!" Finn shoved at Ozzy's shoulder with a disgusted look on his face "Why do Americans insist on ruining their chips?"

"Actually, Bub, I tried it once when I was on tour with your Pop. We went to this fifties style diner in New York City and the waitress obviously heard our accents and told us to try it. Your Pop spit it out but I thought it was pretty good." Niall said, giggling at the look on Harry's face as he remembered.

"Right?" Ozzy nodded happily and fist bumped Niall "By the way, Finn, chips to me are potato chips. I don't dip those in my milkshake, just my fries."

Finn threw his head back against the pillow and stared up at the ceiling dramatically "Americans!! What have I gotten myself into?"

Ozzy laughed and grabbed Finn's face in between his hands, smacking a loud kiss on his lips "You love this American."

Finn wrapped his arms around Ozzy's neck and pulled him in for another kiss "I do. Very, very much."

"Okay!" Harry yelled out and lifted a hand up to cover his eyes while Niall cackled loudly next to him "We're going to get your food before this goes any further. We'll be back in about half an hour and for god's sake Finnegan, this is a hospital so please, the both of you, keep your clothes on!"

Without removing his hand from his eyes, Harry reached out for Niall's hand, his and Finn's cackling laughter leaking out into the hallway and making a couple of nurses look up. By the time they make it to the lift, Harry is laughing too.

  
~~~

  
"Do you think we traumatized your parents?" Ozzy whispered against Finn's lips before he kisses him again softly.

"Nah," Finn whispered back, his tongue licking over his bottom lip and catching Ozzy's lip ring "Pop likes to be dramatic sometimes and my Dad gets a kick out of it. Now come here and kiss me properly. You haven't given me a proper kiss yet."

"God, I don't know why," Ozzy breathed out "I love you so much, baby,"

Finn closed his eyes and sunk back against his pillow when Ozzy's lips met his. He let his body go completely pliant against the pillows, waiting to feel Ozzy's weight on top of him, his chest pressed against his own chest. When that happened, it felt incredible and Finn moaned against Ozzy's mouth, his lips parting slightly and allowing Ozzy to slip his tongue inside.

Ozzy kisses him slowly, his tongue meeting Finn's over and over again until they both pull back for breath and Ozzy takes the opportunity to nip at his neck and his jaw, his hands moving all over Finn's torso until they find their way up under his t-shirt to caress his skin.

"I've missed this," Ozzy says before he dips his head and kisses Finn again, the intensity of it making Finn feel like he's on fire. It's wonderful and perfect until they hear someone clear their throat and Ozzy nearly ends up on the floor from pulling back so quickly.

"Well then," It's the team Doctor and he has a very amused look on his face "I came to check in on you and see if you needed anything. It would appear you have everything you need and then some."

"Oh my God," Finn groaned and covered his face with his hands. How embarrassing. "Sorry Doc. I know this isn't the place for that. I'm so sorry."

"Relax, Horan. There's nothing wrong with a bit of snogging in the hospital. Well...unless you're a cardiac patient but you are not that so carry on...after I'm gone preferably." Dr. Connors laughed.

"Ozzy. This is Chelsea's team Doctor, Dr. Connors. Doc, this is my boyfriend Ozzy Peters. He's here from New York," Finn introduced them.

"Call me Frank please. I keep telling all my players that," Frank stepped forward to shake Ozzy's hand "It's good to meet you, Ozzy. I have two kids at uni who are fans of yours."

"Good to meet you, too," Ozzy smiles and shakes Frank's hand "You'll have to tell them hello from me."

"Maybe wait a few days on that, though?" Finn says sheepishly "Nobody except a few friends and family know about us yet and I was hoping to tell the team first before the whole world finds out. The press is going to be all over them asking about me and Ozzy, I just want them to be prepared and not blindsided."

"That's pretty decent of you, but then I'm not surprised considering who your parents are. They're really good people and they're raising some pretty good kids," Frank says with a smile "Nobody will hear about this from me."

"Thank you so much,"

Frank nodded then walked around the bed to have a look at Finn's knee. He started removing the bandages and Ozzy seemed to hesitate next to the bed, looking unsure of himself.

"Um. Should I leave for this or...?"

"It's not necessary. If Finn wants you to stay, I'm okay with it. Judging by your piercings and tattoos, I'm guessing you're not the squeamish type," Frank laughed "I don't have to worry about you passing out on me I don't think."

"Nope," Ozzy sat back down on the bed and linked his fingers with Finn's again while Frank examined Finn's knee.

"The swelling is going down, your incisions look good, no infection or anything present. How's the pain? Your last dose of pain meds was a few hours ago."

"It's not bad. It was just a dull throb when I woke up from a nap a little while ago. It's starting to smart a bit more now though," Finn admitted.

"That's to be expected. Your surgery was only two days ago. I'll have the nurse come in with your next dose on my way out. Don't try to be a hero and go without it this soon, okay? This type of injury and surgery can be very painful and there's no need to try and do it without medication,"

"No problem, Doc," Finn said, then he and Ozzy said goodnight to the Doctor and a minute later a nurse was coming in with pain medication and supplies to re-bandage his knee.

By the time the nurse was done, Finn's parents were back and they stayed for awhile, chatting with him and Ozzy while they ate their wraps. Ozzy persuaded Finn with kisses to try a chip dipped in his vanilla milkshake and unfortunately Finn had to begrudgingly admit he liked it. He ended up dipping two or three more chips in Ozzy's milkshake and every time he did, Ozzy would gently squeeze his thigh under the blankets and smile adoringly at him like he was the most precious thing in his life. It made Finn feel like he was flying, soaring through the air like Superman or something. He's never felt so loved in his life.

Around nine o'clock, Finn's parents headed home leaving Finn alone with Ozzy again. It was still afternoon in New York so Finn immediately asked if they could call Jacob now. Ozzy agreed and grabbed his I-pad from his bag, connecting to the hospital wifi and calling Kara on FaceTime.

"Ozzy!" Kara's face appeared on the screen a minute later "How is- oh my God, if it isn't Finnegan Horan! Everything went well then?"

"Hi Kara!" Finn waved at her and smiled into the camera.

"Yes everything went well," Ozzy rolled his eyes but smiled as well "I'm a very lucky man to have an understanding boyfriend who forgave me for making a stupid mistake."

"I've been saying that the whole time for fuck's sake!" Kara huffed "Let the record show that I was right and any children that may come in the future shall be named after me."

"Jesus Christ, Kara! We literally just got back together and you've already got us having kids? Relax! Where's the kid I already have?" Ozzy asked.

"Oh. I sent him out five minutes ago to get me a latte from Starbucks. It's only two blocks away. He should be back shortly," Kara said, her face completely serious.

"Alright then. I guess he'll miss his surprise. Have him call me back tomorrow. Maybe he can talk to Finn then," Ozzy says just as seriously.

Kara manages to keep a straight face for another twenty seconds, then she lets out a loud, cackling laugh "You fucker! You're no fun. You never lose your cool."

"Uh huh," Ozzy smirked "Seriously though, where's Jakey?"

"He's changing in his bedroom. Your sister's kids had no school today so I offered to take them with Jacob and I to Central Park. They all had to play soccer with the ball Finn got him for Christmas, of course, and they all ended up full of dirt and grass stains. We just got back. I have lots of pics and video that I'll send you later. I'm guessing you want to talk to him now?"

"Yeah," Ozzy nodded "Don't tell him about Finn though. I want to surprise him."

"Sure thing. I'll get him now," Kara said, then she left her I-pad on the table and walked away. They could hear her calling out to Jacob and telling him his Papa was waiting to talk to him.

"Papa?!?!" They heard Jacob shriek from far away, then his voice started getting closer as he ran into the living room screaming "I'm coming, Papa! I'm coming!!"

Finn could barely keep himself quiet as he hid just off camera. He missed the little boy so much and he was so adorable he could just eat him.

"Hi, baby boy!" Ozzy blew a kiss into the camera when Jacob came on the screen.

"Hi, Papa!" Jacob yelled much too loudly then giggled when he caught Ozzy's kiss in his hand.

"You had a fun day I heard," Ozzy said, his smile completely lighting up his face. It was clear as day that Ozzy adored and loved his little boy more than anything. It was without a doubt a big reason why Finn fell for him so quickly. Kids are important to Finn. He wants to have at least six someday, a big family like his parents have and he knows without a doubt Ozzy will be on board.

"It was so fun!" Jacob gushed. He spent the next five minutes rambling on about his day in his cute little four year old voice, his face so animated. Finn was in love.

"Hey, Jakey? Papa has a present for you," Ozzy said when Jacob was finally finished talking.

"Really?" Jacob's eyes grew wide "Already? You only went away this morning, Papa."

"I know but you're such a good, amazing little boy and I love you so much. I had to get you something right away," Ozzy explained, his hand holding tightly onto Finn's under the blanket.

"Are you gonna be home soon to give it to me?" Jacob asked, still wide eyed.

"Actually...I was thinking you could have it right now," Ozzy said, a huge grin on his face.

"Right now? But how Papa?" Jacob's voice was nearly a whisper as he tried to figure out what Ozzy was talking about.

Ozzy turned to look at Finn, the look of glee on his face was probably the very same as the one on Finn's face. When he turned back toward the camera he said "Are you ready?"

Jacob didn't say anything, just slowly nodded his head until Finn slowly moved in closer to Ozzy. The moment Jacob saw him, he gasped loudly then let out the loudest squeal Finn as ever heard "FINNY!!! FINNY!!!PAPA, IT'S FINNY!!!"

"Hi Jacob!" Finn said through his laughter, his eyes never leaving the screen, not wanting to miss a single second of the expressions on Jacob's face.

Jacob, who was sitting on his knees between the coffee table and the couch with the I-pad on the coffee table, suddenly stood up and started bouncing up and down on his feet before he took off running and Finn and Ozzy could hear him yelling "KARA! KARA, PAPA'S WITH FINNY! IT'S FINNY, KARA!"

Finn could feel his eyes fill up with tears as he rested his chin on Ozzy's shoulder and looked up into the eyes of the man he loved "He's so precious, Oz," He whispered "So happy, so beautiful. You're so lucky. _I'm_ so lucky to have you both."

Ozzy looked at him with tears of his own filling his eyes "You really love him a lot, don't you?"

"So much," Finn whispered, his voice choked up "He's incredible and he's a part of you. How could I not fall in love with that little boy?"

"Thank you," Ozzy kissed his lips softly before Jacob comes back "For the record, we're extremely lucky to have you, too. I love you baby."

"Love you," Finn kissed him again, quickly, then they both turned back to the screen when they heard Jacob running back with Kara right behind him.

"Sorry about that. There's a very excited little boy over here," Kara chuckled and sat down on the floor next to Jacob.

"I missed you, Finny!" Jacob said, a big smile on his face "I wanted to come play with you but Papa and Kara wouldn't let me." His smile turned into a pout making Ozzy and Finn chuckle.

"I'm sorry about that, buddy," Finn smiled "Remember how far away I live? Remember I showed you on a map? It's not easy to just visit because you have to get on a plane and fly for hours and hours and hours."

"Yes. I remember," Jacob said seriously "It's still not nice."

"I know," Finn pouted too, to show Jacob he understood he was sad about it and that he was sad too "I have a surprise for you though. I was talking to your Papa earlier and do you know what he told me? He told me Kara is going to bring you over here to see me! Remember the flat you and your Papa lived in and I would come see you everyday? You're going to live there again and you'll be able to come see me at my house, too"

"Where Charlie and Matty live?" Jacob gasped.

Finn laughed "Yes! They'll be so happy to see you. They love being your friend and playing with you."

"I like playing with them, too. They're lots of fun and I like your Daddy and your Papa, too. They're very nice," Jacob said seriously then he looked through the camera at Ozzy "When can I come see you and Finny, Papa?"

"Soon, baby. A couple of days. Papa just has to make sure the apartment is all ready for us and hopefully by then Finny will be able to go home too," Ozzy told his son.

"What do you mean?" Jacob looked confused "Why isn't Finny at home?"

"I hurt my knee when I was playing football," Finn explained to the four year old "I had to go to the hospital so the Doctor's could fix it for me. I'll be able to go home in a few days once they tell me it's all better."

"But the Doctor did fix it, right?" Jacob asked.

"He did," Finn confirmed, making sure to smile so Jacob didn't worry about him. "It's just going to be sore for awhile. I'll be stuck in bed watching a lot of telly. Maybe you can keep me company and we can watch your favourite shows or play video games?"

"Yeah!! I'll stay with you, Finny. Don't worry," Jacob grinned.

"I can't wait!" Finn grinned back "I missed you a lot, Jacob. I can't wait to see you."

"Me too, Finny!" Jacob yelled, then his eyes grew wide and he stood up, gasping "I gotta go pack my bag!"

Before Ozzy for Finn could say anything, the little boy took off for his bedroom leaving the three adults laughing hysterically.

"Oh my God. He is totally your son," Kara laughed "All take action."

"Yep. That's my baby boy. I can't believe he'll be five in a few months. He's growing up too fast," Ozzy shook his head sadly.

"They do that. It feels like just yesterday my parents brought the twins home. Now they'll be seven soon." Finn said.

"I better go help the little guy," Kara said after they heard a little crash "Or else he'll try to pack his whole bedroom. Rebecca will let me know flight details?"

"Yeah I'll text her to let her know to book you a flight. Tell the rugrat I love him and I'll talk to him tomorrow please," Ozzy said "And thank you for taking such good care of him as always."

"Also thank you for getting Ozzy to come talk to me!" Finn spoke up, making Kara laugh and Ozzy scoff playfully "Tell Jacob I'll talk to him tomorrow with Ozzy."

"Will do guys. I'm happy to see you together again. You both look happy. Practically glowing. Enjoy the rest of your night and I'll talk to you both tomorrow," Kara said, then they said their goodbyes and closed the I-pad, placing it on the table next to the bed.

"That was great," Finn sunk back into the pillows and sighed "He's the cutest. Are we going to tell him that we're a couple?"

"I think we should tell him when he gets here. He won't have a problem with it. He loves you. Is that okay with you?" Ozzy pulled Finn in close to him and gently started running his fingers through his hair.

"Yes. I just wanted to make sure it's okay with you. He's your son and I want to make sure I respect that and not do anything you're not comfortable with," Finn said tiredly. He could feel himself slowly starting to fall asleep, probably from the pain killers.

"Thank you, baby. That means a lot to me. You should know, though, that I trust you with Jacob. Completely. I trust you with me, completely. I love you more than anything in this world. I'll make sure you never have any reason to doubt that okay?" Ozzy kissed Finn's forehead then nuzzled his face against his cheek.

"I trust you, too," Finn smiled and squeezed Ozzy's hand under the blanket.

"You're about to pass out," Ozzy chuckled and pushed himself up, swinging his legs to the floor "Want me to help you to the bathroom so you can brush your teeth?"

"Yes," Finn pushed himself up, careful not to jostle his knee "Thank you. I hate falling asleep without brushing my teeth."

"Alright," Ozzy walked around to Finn's side of the bed and slid an arm around his waist, sliding him forward so that he was standing on his good leg "Put your arm around my waist and lean on me. I've got you."

Finn smiled and did as Ozzy asked. He knew Ozzy had him. He was strong and had picked Finn up more than once when they were fooling around at his apartment when Kara had Jacob out somewhere. His strength was a turn on for Finn but he wouldn't think about that right now. It definitely wasn't the time or place.

After Finn pissed and brushed his teeth, Ozzy helped him back to bed and tucked him in then said he'd be right back, he was just going to take a quick five minute shower in Finn's bathroom. Finn dozed while he was gone but he felt him slip in the bed next to him when he was finished. He felt Ozzy spoon him and kiss his cheek and shoulder. Best of all though? He heard him say "I love you" before he drifted off to sleep.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everybody!
> 
> I'm very sorry for the wait. I've definitely hit some major writers block along with a nasty flu. Please bear with me as I try to find my way out of this writers block. I love this story and I love Fizzy so I'm not abandoning it. It's on my mind every day. Hopefully I will snap out of it soon. 
> 
> Enjoy this chapter in the meantime. A bit of love and fluff after all the drama :) As always, your comments mean a lot to me so if you have the time, let me know what you think! Thank you!

 

 

The next three days were a bit busy for Ozzy. He spent every moment he could with Finn then the rest of the time he spent signing papers to rent the apartment again, making sure everything was clean and ready for Jacob, buying groceries, and attending a few conference calls with his label and his management. Now, though, he was heading to Finn's house to see if Harry and Niall needed anything before he stopped by to see Finn again. He knew they were probably okay but he wanted to check anyway. Finn wasn't the only person in the Horan family that was important to Ozzy. He cared for all of them.

"Hi, Ozzy!" Nori answered the door when he rang the bell, leaning out to wrap him in a hug. He and Finn had told Nori and Kate about their relationship the day after he arrived back in London. Finn talked to them alone first because they didn't even know he was pansexual and he wanted to explain to them why he didn't tell them. They both took the news really well. Neither one of them was really surprised. Apparently Finn wasn't very subtle when he looked at Ozzy. That had Ozzy laughing for half an hour while Finn blushed and pouted.

"Hi, Nori. On your way out?" Ozzy smiled at the teenager and gestured toward her coat and purse.

"Yeah. Heading to a friend's house," Nori smiled.

"Have fun! Are your parents home?" Ozzy asked.

"They were snogging in the kitchen a minute ago," Nori rolled her eyes "Good luck with that."

Ozzy laughed and said goodbye to the girl then closed the door behind her when she left. He made his way to the kitchen to find Harry and Niall and found them talking quietly, the snogging apparently over.

"Hi, guys. Hope you don't mind me stopping by," Ozzy waved a hand at the two men as he walked into the kitchen.

"Of course not," Harry stood up from the table and gave Ozzy a one armed hug then Niall stood up and did the same thing "Sit down. Do you want something to drink?"

"I'm okay for now," Ozzy sat down across from Niall "I'm on my way to see Finn and thought I'd drop by and see if you needed anything first? I know your Mom had to head home, Harry, so you're juggling a newborn, your other kids and Finn in the hospital."

"That's really sweet of you," Harry ran a hand through his hair and grinned "I think we're okay for now. We were actually just talking about moving Finn's bed downstairs so he wouldn't have to go up and down all the time but we know he'd hate that. He likes his room, his own space, so we decided to leave it. There's plenty of people in this house so that he'll only need to go up or down once a day. If he forgets something in his room or down here, the twins will get it for him. They're excited to get to do things for him."

"Add Jacob to that list. I think my child loves my boyfriend more than me," Ozzy made a face.

"Finn was telling us about your FaceTime call and how excited Jacob was. He adores your little boy and it seems Jacob adores him too. They have a special connection after only a few months. It's incredible to watch. You should enjoy every minute of it. I know because I watched an amazing bond develop between Rory and Harry. I don't think I can even put into words how that made me feel. It's indescribable," Niall said, his eyes unfocused like he was somewhere else. Thinking of another time over twenty years ago.

"It doesn't matter that you can't describe it. I get it. I learned when Jacob was born what it felt like to love someone unconditionally. As a parent, when you find someone who loves your child like you do and wants to protect them like you do, it just..."

"It's indescribable," Niall quipped, cackling with laughter when Harry snorts.

"Pretty much, yeah," Ozzy joined in the laughter.

"When is Jacob arriving with his nanny?" Harry asked when they stopped laughing.

"Tomorrow morning. I can't wait. I miss him so much," Ozzy gushed.

"We can't wait to see him, too. He's such a fun kid. The twins ask about him all the time. Once you get him settled you'll have to bring him over for a sleep over. Give your nanny a night off and you and Finn can have a date night. We'll push the beds together in the twins room and they can build a fort. It'll be awesome!" Niall says excitedly.

"That's my eighth child right there," Harry pointed at Niall and rolled his eyes.

"Like you weren't the first one under the blankets the last time we built a fort!" Niall scoffed and stuck his tongue out at Harry.

"Oh I have no doubt Jacob will be having the time of his life when he comes here," Ozzy laughed "Well I guess I'll head over to see Finn. Are the twins or Kate home? They can come with me if they want. I don't mind bringing them back. I've got a car outside."

"Kate is with Gemma but the twins are home," Niall stood up and went to the kitchen entrance to call down the hall "Matty! Charlie! Do you want to go see Finny with Ozzy?"

There was a loud thump then Ozzy could hear the twins screaming out something before they came running down the hall and sliding into the kitchen on their socked feet. "Ozzy!!" They both yelled at the same time, then Ozzy had two six year olds coming at him from both sides.

"Hi boys!" Ozzy laughed and wrapped an arm around both of them. He'd seen them once since he got back three days ago but it wasn't for long and it was at the hospital. "I'm going to visit your brother. Would you like to come with me?"

"Yes please!" The twins both say in unison, melting Ozzy's heart because not only are they adorable but they're so polite as well!

"Nori told us that you're Finny's boyfriend now," Charlie said, looking up at Ozzy with his bright blue eyes "Does that mean you kiss like Daddy and Papa do?"

Ozzy heard Niall guffaw over by the dishwasher where he was putting dirty dishes in and struggled to keep his own laughter in "Yes. We do kiss sometimes."

"I was afraid of that," Charlie made a face, Matty copying him "Daddy and Papa kiss alllll the time. They need to calm down sometimes."

Ozzy couldn't hold back anymore, he burst out laughing and watched as Niall walked over to Harry, wrapped his arms around his waist and tilted his head up to peck Harry on the lips "I kiss your Papa so much because I love him very, very much."

"Does that mean you love Finny very, very much?" Matty asked Ozzy, a serious expression on his face.

Ozzy immediately stopped laughing and smiled softly at Matty "Yes. I do love him. Very, very much. He makes me so happy. Just like your Daddy and Papa make each other so happy. I'm really lucky he's my boyfriend."

Matty looked at Ozzy for a minute, then his face lit up with a big smile and he hugged Ozzy tight "I love Finny, too. He's the best big brother and me and Charlie know we're really lucky he's our brother. Did you know he takes us with him to lots of places? He plays footie with us and we even went camping last year! Rory came too. It was so fun. I'm glad you're his boyfriend because you're really nice and you bring Jacob to play with us."

Ozzy sat listening to Matty, his eyes welling up with tears a bit at how much Matty clearly loves his big brother. It just goes to show what an amazing person Finn is. It also makes him happy that the twins seem to be so accepting of him as their brother's boyfriend. He really loves this family and it means a lot to him that they seem to care about him too.

"Thank you, Matty," Ozzy said after he cleared his throat "I'm glad you're happy about it. Your brother is very important to me."

Ozzy looked up and saw Harry and Niall watching them with smiles on their faces. Harry looked like his eyes were welling up with tears as well. Ozzy smiled back then Niall spoke up and asked the twins to go get their coats and trainers on so they could go with Ozzy to the hospital.

"Wow. They really are something special, aren't they?" Ozzy blew out a breath.

"That's our babies," Harry smiled "We're very lucky to have them."

"I guess I better go catch up to them. Do you want me to bring them home at a certain time or do you mind if I take them for ice cream after we visit Finn? I was thinking they might like that," Ozzy asked as he stood up.

"They would love it!" Niall smiled "It's fine with me if it's fine with Harry. Just call us if you need anything. We'll be over later to see Finn anyway."

"Okay. See you guys later!" Ozzy waved as he left the kitchen to find the twins who were waiting for him by the front door "Ready to go boys?"

"Yeah!!" Matty and Charlie both yelled, then they took off out the door and into the waiting car to head to the hospital.

  
~~~

  
Finn was watching a show on Netflix when he heard voices outside his hospital room door. Tiny voices. Twin voices. He paused his show and put his I-pad on the table, just in time to see his brother's come through the door with smiling faces, Ozzy right behind them.

"Hello!" Finn pushed himself up further against the pillows "This is a nice surprise."

"Hi, Finny!" Charlie and Matty say together as they walk around the bed so they're on the side of Finn's non injured leg. They both climb up on the bed and Finn accepts them into his arms easily for a big hug.

"I'm happy you're here," Finn kissed both their heads "I miss you guys. How are you doing?"

"We're good!" Charlie snuggled against Finn's side "Ozzy came over and asked if we wanted to come visit you with him. Daddy and Papa said we could."

"That was very nice of Ozzy," Finn looked up at his boyfriend who was standing at the foot of the bed with a smile on his face. "Hi, love."

Ozzy walked around the side of the bed the twins weren't on and leaned down to give Finn a soft kiss on the lips "Hi, baby. You look good this morning. Sleep okay?"

"I did, yeah," Finn cupped Ozzy's cheek and pulled him down for another kiss, pulling away and laughing when Charlie grumbles. "What did you say, Charlie?"

"I told Matty it's gonna be just like Daddy and Papa. Always kissing," Charlie sighed, a cute little grumpy look on his face.

"Sorry kid," Finn laughed and ruffled Charlie's hair "It's because I love Ozzy so much. You'll understand when you're older and have a girlfriend or boyfriend."

"I don't think I mind so much," Matty piped up "I like Ozzy. I'm glad he's your boyfriend. If that means kissing is going to happen, that's okay because it means you're happy like Daddy and Papa and I want you to be happy like that, Finny."

"Matty..." Finn got choked up and cuddled his brother, kissing his forehead repeatedly "Thank you. I love you so much. Both of you."

Over the next couple of hours, Finn played games with the twins on his I-pad and chatted with Ozzy while the twins were busy watching the telly. They laughed a lot and Finn loved having them around. He especially loved that it was his boyfriends idea. He actually took the time to go to Finn's house and ask his parents if they needed anything then offered to take the two rambunctious twins with him to the hospital and for ice cream afterward. It was incredible and only made Finn love him more.

When they left, Ozzy kissed him and told him he'd come back later so they could spend time alone together. Just the thought of it made Finn's body go hot and his stomach churn with desire. Just the thought of heavy snogging with Ozzy did that to him. It probably didn't help that he hasn't gotten off in over a month. After Ozzy broke up with him he had no desire to get himself off. If he woke up with a semi he'd simply get a cold shower and wait for his dick to soften rather than have a wank. Now, of course, he's dying to get off but he can't because he's in the hospital. He just wasn't comfortable doing that with nurses and doctors walking in the hallway outside his door. He's supposed to go home tomorrow and he'll definitely be going for it then. Maybe he could even convince Ozzy to ride him. His knee would be fine in that position.

Finn spent the next little while texting with Alexa and Asa then he texted with some guys on the team before he went back to watching Netflix on his I-pad.

When his parents showed up with Ryanne a couple of hours later, he was smiling and laughing at a video Ozzy sent him of his trip to get Ice cream with the twins.

"Hi, Bub," His Dad walked in with Ryanne's car seat in his hand and a smile on his face "What are you laughing at?"

Finn paused the video and laid his phone down on the bed "I'll trade you. I get Ryanne and you can have my phone to see for yourself."

His Dad chuckled but put the car seat down on the bed so Finn could unbuckle his sister and lift her out into his arms. He picked up Finn's phone and held it up for his Pop to look at too, then he pressed play and Finn could hear the twins loud voices while he carefully lifted his two month old sister into his arms.

"Hi, Ryanne," Finn held her up so he could kiss her tiny button nose and her forehead before he positioned her in his arms so that her head was supported in the crook of his elbow "How's my sweet baby sister today? You look good and happy. Yes you do!"

Finn smiled down at his sister and gently bounced her in his arms while she cooed, gurgled and occasionally giggled. She was a beautiful little girl with a thick head of hair just like his Pop and a pair of heart shaped lips Finn knew would cause trouble when she became a woman. She'd have a hell of a lot of people to look out for her, though. Himself and Rory at the top of that list so no boys better give her any trouble or they'd get their arse kicked.

"Oh my God!" Finn looked up when his Pop let out a loud squawk of laughter "How did Charlie end up with caramel in his hair? I swear to God that kid gets more food _on_ him than _in_ him."

"I know!" His Dad cackled "It's brilliant. They're having so much fun. Ozzy's laughing so hard the camera is shaking a bit. Did he send us this video?"

"I think he might have," His Pop nodded and came over to sit next to Finn's bed when the video was finished "When he brought the twins home he said he'd send me a video but I haven't had a chance to check my phone."

"He said he's still with the twins?" Finn said, looking between both his parents "He hasn't texted back since. I figure it's because he's busy with them."

"Yeah when he dropped them off we were about to call Rory and see if we could bring the twins to his place so we could visit you. Since they were already here we didn't want to bring them again. They'd likely get bored and cause a ruckus. Ozzy suggested he stay at the house with them instead of calling Rory. They were having a blast and the twins didn't want him to go so we said okay and got Ryanne ready to come over. We knew you'd want to see her," His Dad explained.

"I'm not surprised he did that," Finn shook his head and looked down at Ryanne with a shy smile on his face "He loves kids. He wants to have a few someday. Obviously he had Jacob way sooner than he expected to have kids but he doesn't regret it. He's really happy being a father. He had it a bit harder because he was eighteen but he wouldn't change anything I don't think. Now he's successful for himself and his son. It's pretty amazing. I'm kinda proud of him in case you couldn't tell."

"No, couldn't tell at all," His Dad snorted, making his Pop laugh. "In all seriousness though, you should be proud. I don't know Ozzy as well as you and your Pop do but what I do know I really like. He's a good, honest man with a good heart and I'm really happy you and he are together. I want all my children to find partners who love them, respect them, and take care of them. Rory found that in Anna and now you've found that in Ozzy. Hold on to that, Bub. I'm not saying everything will be easy. People always comment they wish they had a relationship like mine and your Pop's. We always laugh about it when we're alone because we're not perfect like people think. We've had ups and downs and we've had bad fights, we just don't show that to the world. We deal with it together because it's nobody's business but our own. We always work through it because we love each other and we respect each other. As long as you and Ozzy love and respect each other, you'll get through your tough times. You just have to be willing to put the hard work in."

"I am, Dad. I really and truly am. I'm not looking forward to the day he has to go off on tour but I'm not going to let it tear us apart. Music is his life just like football is mine. I would never ask him to give that up. I'm really proud of what he's done in his career so far, to be honest. I'll be here supporting him any way I can and whenever I can I'll be front row at his shows singing along with everyone else. I'm not naive or anything. It will be hard but I'm ready. I can face anything as long as I have Ozzy and Jacob in my life," Finn told his parents and as he said the words he knew they were one hundred percent true. He might go months without seeing Ozzy in person but at the end of every day he'll know Ozzy is still his and he's still Ozzy's and that's all that matters.

"We're so proud of you," His Pop moved from the chair to sit on the bed next to Finn, wrapping an arm around Finn's shoulders and making a funny face down at Ryanne "If anyone can handle a partly long distance relationship it's you. You're so much more mature than your age and remember that we're here to help with anything you may need."

"Thank you," Finn smiled at his parents "Right now I just need to go home. The Doc said I could tomorrow. Can I ask a favour of you?"

"Obviously," His Dad laughed.

"Jacob is arriving with his nanny tomorrow. Can I invite Ozzy and Jacob over for dinner? I know I'll just be getting home and settled but I just- I really want them to be there. I don't know. I just really want everyone I love together. That goes for Rory, Anna and their kids too." Finn said.

Finn watched as his parents looked at each other and did that thing they always do where they seem to communicate with their eyes, then his Dad nodded to his Pop and his Pop turned to look at Finn "Okay. That's fine with us but I have a couple of stipulations I think your Dad will agree with. Having surgery is a big deal, you're not even close to recovered yet so when you get home you'll have a nap in your room and your phone will be turned off. We want you to rest before everyone arrives for dinner. Then, when everyone arrives, you need to take it easy. You're not to try and get up and do anything. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes," Finn nodded seriously, lifting Ryanne up to cuddle her when she started fussing a little "I won't do anything to hurt my recovery and potentially keep me from playing football again. I promise you."

"Okay. Good," His Pop smiled and leaned in to kiss Finn's cheek "Anything in particular you want to eat?"

"Not really. Maybe a BBQ?" Finn suggested "I haven't looked at the weather but it's June and I heard the nurses talking about a hot spell the next few days. The kids could use the pool or play some footie. I promise I will sit on a lounger with my leg up and I won't move."

"I like that idea actually," His Dad said as he rummaged through Ryanne's bag "It _is_ supposed to be hot. Rory and I could do chicken, steak, burgers, pork chops, hot dogs, whatever everyone wants. It'll be fun."

"I'll let Rory know to bring the family over tomorrow night," His Pop got his phone out of his pocket and started texting.

"It's about time for the princess' feeding," His Dad said when he found a bottle in Ryanne's bag "Do you want me to take her, Bub?"

"No. I can do it. I like doing it," Finn took the bottle from his Dad and offered it to Ryanne. She started sucking right away and Finn watched her in awe, like he'd never seen a baby drinking a bottle before. They were just so precious and sweet when they were this young. Finn didn't think he'd ever stop being in awe of babies.

After about an hour, his parents went home and Finn was left alone again, a huge smile on his face as he looks through the new pictures his Dad just took of him and Ryanne. From there he ended up going through pictures he and Ozzy took together and pictures Ozzy took of him with Jacob. That's what he was doing when Ozzy showed up again, the smile on his face making the crinkles by his eyes show. He was absolutely gorgeous and Finn loved him so much.

"Hi, handsome," Ozzy leaned down and kissed Finn's lips, lingering there for a few pecks before he stood back up again "How's your day been? I know you're getting bored in here."

"Hi, love," Finn smiled up at his boyfriend then inched over so Ozzy could sit next to him on the bed and cuddle him. "It's been a good day. I get to go home tomorrow."

"Yeah?" Ozzy rolled over onto his side and propped his head up by his elbow so he could look at Finn. His body was still pressed up against Finn and he was holding one of Finn's hands with his free hand, playing with Finn's fingers "Do you know what time? I'm picking Jacob up at the airport in the morning. I wanted to be here to help you get home."

"You don't have to," Finn shook his head "My parents and Rory will be here, no doubt driving me nuts," Finn laughed "I'd rather you focus on Jacob. You haven't seen him in almost a week. Pick him up and get him settled and you can see me later if you're willing to come to my house for dinner? My parents said they'd do a BBQ so we could all sit outside in the back by the pool. Kara is welcome too, of course."

"Actually, Kara has a connecting flight to Spain. I'll need her when I'm touring so I'm trying to give her as much time off while I'm off so she can spend time with friends and family. She's meeting some friends in Spain tomorrow night so it'll just be me and Jacob," Ozzy explained.

"As long as you and Jacob can make it I'll be happy. It's just going to be my brothers and sisters and Rory and Anna's kids. I just told my parents I want everyone I love around me. It's been a rough ten days for me. I can't wait to just be home in my own house with my favourite people around." Finn said.

"We'll be there. Jacob is beside himself. He can't wait to see you, Finn. The only person who adores you more than he does is me," Ozzy said as he leaned over to kiss Finn again.

"So fucking sappy," Finn murmured before Ozzy's lips found his. Ozzy giggled into the kiss but quickly regained his composure and deepened the kiss, pulling Finn closer by slipping a hand behind his neck. Their tongues brushed together, slow and sensual, and Finn could easily feel himself getting worked up. He loved the way Ozzy kissed him, loved the way he touched him, like he was a rare and precious jewel or something. He felt so loved whenever he was with Ozzy and that, along with the physical pleasure he was feeling, was really getting his dick interested.

"I love you," Ozzy murmured against his lips when they broke the kiss "You're so incredible baby. God I'm so lucky."

"Ozzy," Finn practically whimpered "Please. I can't- we can't do anything here and if you keep talking like that and touching me like that, I don't think I'll survive."

"Sorry. I just love kissing you," Ozzy murmured against his lips before he pulled back and put a bit of space between them.

"I love kissing you, too. That's the problem at the moment," Finn felt his cheeks heating up a bit and averted his eyes from Ozzy's "It's been awhile since I've...well, you know, and I'm about two seconds away from being able to control myself."

"I get it. Trust me, I do. I haven't so much as gotten myself off in the shower since we broke up. I had no desire to do anything," Ozzy said "Once you're out of here, I'm going to have my way with you. I want to make you feel so good."

Finn gave Ozzy a deadpan look that had the older lad laughing "You're not helping."

"Sorry, baby. I'll be good now," Ozzy chuckled "Do you want to watch some TV or something?"

"Yeah," Finn handed Ozzy the remote control "See what's on."

"Gladly. I love British TV. It's better than American TV." Ozzy said as he clicked on the TV and started channel surfing.

"Obviously," Finn rolled his eyes playfully "The more time you spend here the more you'll have a greater appreciation for everything British. Just you wait."

Ozzy looked at him fondly, studying his face for a moment before kissing him softly again "I think I already do, baby."

A smile remained on Finn's face for the rest of the night, until he fell asleep in his boyfriends arms.

  
~~~

  
Ozzy went to Heathrow the next morning to pick up his son at arrivals where he arranged to meet Kara. She had two hours between her flights so they had a coffee there at the airport and she caught him up on anything he might need to know that happened with Jacob over the past few days and they also talked about her plans for her trip.

"I know I've already said thank you but I want to say it again," Kara said to Ozzy while Jacob was happily munching on his Jaffa cake "You're so good to me. The best employer I've ever had. Most of the time I forget you're my employer since we've become such good friends. You pay me pretty generously and because of that I can afford to take trips and see different parts of the world. It means a lot to me. I love both of you so much. You're like my brother and Jacob my nephew."

"Well we love you, too. I'm pretty certain we would have never gotten by without you since I started my music career. I know you always say I pay you more than other nanny's get but it's worth it to me. I can afford to do it and Jacob is the most important person in the world to me so knowing he's well looked after gives me great piece of mind. I hope you have a great vacation. Go, and don't worry about anything. Me and my little lad will have some father/son time," Ozzy told Kara, meaning every single word he said.

"Little lad, hmm? You're turning British already," Kara threw her head back, laughing.

"Oh God," Ozzy groaned and shook his head, a tiny smile on his face "I keep doing it. A word here, a word there, I don't even realize I'm doing it until someone points it out. Finn and Rory like to make fun of me for it."

"Finn and Rory," Kara sighed "Now there's two very hot men with even hotter accents."

"Kara!" Ozzy hissed and smacked her arm lightly. She responded by wiggling her eyebrows and Ozzy couldn't help but break out into laughter. Besides, she was right of course. Finn was very hot and his accent drove Ozzy wild sometimes. He loved how proper and posh his boyfriend sounded at times, yet at other times he was just another Englishman at a pub with a dirty mouth and dirty mind to go with it.

Eventually it was time for Kara to get back through airport security and to her gate so he and Jacob both hugged her goodbye then Ozzy took Jacob to the bathroom so he could pee and so Ozzy could wipe the chocolate off his face from the Jaffa cake.

When they were done, Ozzy called the driver he uses while in London and he told Ozzy exactly where he would pull the car up to the curb to pick Ozzy up. Ozzy made his way there with Jacob and it didn't take him long to see the paparazzi that were outside.

"Okay Jakey," Ozzy picked his son up and looked him in the eye "Remember how Papa told you people like to take our picture sometimes?" Jacob nodded and said yes "Well there's a few people outside right now who are going to take our picture and probably ask Papa some questions. Just ignore them, okay?"

Jacob nodded and wrapped his arms around Ozzy's neck "Okay Papa. I remember what to do."

"Of course you do. You're my smart boy aren't you?" Ozzy smiled wide at his son "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Papa," Jacob grinned, then Ozzy kissed his cheek and started toward the exit. He was grateful now that the driver had taken the two bags Kara packed with Jacob's things and put them in the trunk of the car before he went to park somewhere and wait for Ozzy. This way he had both hands free to hold Jacob and fend off any Paparazzi that might get too close. He wasn't overly worried, though. The paps in England were nowhere near as bad as the ones in the States, especially in LA.

As soon as he stepped out of the exit, the cameras started flashing and he instinctively put a hand on the back of Jacob's head so that the little boy would hide his face in Ozzy's neck.

"Ozzy! Ozzy! Over here! Look this way please!"

"Ozzy! You're back in London and your son is with you now. Why are you spending so much time here?"

"Ozzy! You've been seen coming in and out of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital over the past few days. Were you visiting the son of Harry Styles-Horan and Niall Horan?"

"Ozzy! Are you in a relationship with Finn Horan of Chelsea FC? Is he gay or Bi like you? Do you have any comment?"

No he bloody well didn't have any comment! Ozzy thought as the driver ushered him and Jacob into the back seat of the car and helped him get Jacob in the car seat. Once they were settled, the driver got back in the front and they were soon pulling out into traffic.

"Well," Ozzy turned to Jacob with a smile on his face "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No," Jacob smiled wide at him "I don't care about those people. I like taking pictures."

"I know you do. You're my silly little ham," Ozzy reached over and tickled Jacob's side making him laugh "You're a good boy, Jakey. You always listen to me and do what I ask. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Papa," Jacob leaned over and made kissy noises with his lips and Ozzy leaned in and kissed his cheek while laughing. His kid was priceless.

Once they got back to the apartment, Ozzy sent Finn a text to let him know Jacob was with him and to text him back when he had the chance. He was released from hospital about an hour ago so hopefully he was resting comfortably in his own bed by now.

After that, Ozzy brought Jacob's bags up to the same bedroom he used before and together they put Jacob's clothes away and unpacked all his favourite toys he brought with him from New York. When they were done they went downstairs for some lunch and Jacob happily ate his sandwich while sitting at the coffee table watching a kids show.

Ozzy happily sat on the couch, sipping on his coffee and eating his own sandwich while watching how Jacob reacted to the show. He loved how his son's face always lit up and he'd stand up and dance and sing along when a song would come on. He was a happy child with not a care in the world. Ozzy wanted to keep it that way for as long as he can.

When his phone rang on the table beside him, he picked it up and smiled when Finn's picture showed on the caller I.D "Hi, baby. Are you home? All settled?"

"I am! I'm so glad to be home. I had lunch with my sisters and brothers then my parents helped me up to my room. We made a deal. We'd have a little party with a BBQ if I promised to rest and have a nap all afternoon," Finn said.

"Well that sounds good. I don't want you to over do it either. Are you in any pain?" Ozzy tucked his legs underneath him and curled into the side of the couch, his eyes on Jacob.

"Not really. A dull ache. I'm going to ease back on the pain meds a bit and see what happens. They make me so groggy. I don't want to take them unless absolutely necessary," Finn explained.

"That sounds reasonable. As long as you don't try to be a hero. If the pain gets really bad make sure you take your medication, okay?" Ozzy said gently.

"Don't worry. I won't be stupid about it," Finn promised "Anyway, the reason I called is because Alexa sent me a text. Pap photos of you and Jacob at the airport. Is Jacob okay? Did they scare him?"

Ozzy smiled and felt his stomach swoop a bit. He loved that his boyfriend cared about his son so much. He'd be lying if he didn't admit he laid in bed sometimes thinking about Finn being a Father to Jacob and other kids they would have together.

"No, they didn't scare him. Jacob is a pro at all that. He was one when I did 'The Voice' and my 'fame' or whatever you want to call it, took off right away. He doesn't really know any other way of life. It's normal for him and because he's my little ham he loves smiling and waving whenever we see paps," Ozzy laughed "I kept his face hidden today though. He just got off a plane and I know he's tired. I just wanted to get him back to the apartment. He's eating lunch now then he'll have a nap before we go to your house."

"Okay. I'm glad they don't bother him. You're such a good Dad, Ozzy. It's no wonder he handles it so well. I can't wait to see him later," Finn said and Ozzy could hear the smile in his voice.

"He can't wait to see you either," Ozzy replied "Hey...did you see just photos or video as well? Just wondering if you caught what they asked me?"

"Yeah I saw the video. Doesn't surprise me how clever they are.They were bound to speculate you were visiting me because we're in a relationship. Everyone knows you were mentored by Pop and that you were here recording with him but that's not really a reason to visit his son in the hospital so..." Finn trailed off.

"Are you okay with it? One of them flat out asked if you were gay or bi. That's probably going to get people talking," Ozzy said. He felt a bit nervous about it. He knows what Finn told him before, that he didn't care about coming out, but it was different when it started happening.

"I'm very much okay with it, sweetheart. I was going to talk to you about it when you come over. There's something I want to do that I want to run by you," Finn explained, the smile still evident in his voice.

"Okay, baby. We'll talk about it tonight. You go on and get some rest. I'm going to put my little munchkin down for a nap soon. You'll be napping together," Ozzy laughed.

"Heyyyy," Finn sounded like he was pouting and Ozzy nearly snorted because when he did that he sounded exactly like Harry "I want to be on the line when you put Jacob down for his nap. You always sing to him. I want to hear that."

"You want me to sing you a lullaby too?" Ozzy laughed.

"Yep," Finn laughed "Your voice is quite sexy no matter what you're singing. Plus I've seen you putting Jacob to bed before. Seen you singing to him. It's so sweet and cute and _that_ is also quite sexy, darling. Nothing turns me on more than a good man who is good to his kids."

"Jesus," Ozzy whispered, covering his face with one hand "I'm gonna die before I get you alone," He growled. Finn's laughter on the other end of the phone only causing more heat in the pit of his stomach "Okay. How about this? I'll call you when Jacob is ready for his nap. Should only be another half hour. I'll put you on speaker phone while I'm singing."

"Yes please!" Finn said with excitement in his voice "Love you,"

"I love you, too, baby. Talk to you soon," Ozzy chuckled then hung up the phone and put it in his pocket so he could pick up his and Jacob's plates and glasses to bring into the kitchen to put into the dishwasher.

Once he was done cleaning up the kitchen, he went back to the living room and found Jacob sitting on the couch, struggling to keep his eyes open. Kara said he had been too excited to sleep much on the plane and it was an overnight flight for them so he must be exhausted.

"Come on my love," Ozzy kissed his son on the forehead and picked him up in his arms, smiling when Jacob immediately put his arms around his neck and snuggled into him "Let's get you down for a nap."

Ozzy carried him upstairs and changed him into his pajama's then settled him into his bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. He got his phone out of his pocket and dialled Finn's number, his boyfriend picking up right away. He didn't speak and Ozzy knew it was because he didn't want to disturb Jacob. Finn always thought of the little things like that. Ozzy loved him a lot for it.

He began to sing softly, the phone on the bedside table on speaker and one of his hands gently running through Jacob's hair. He sang a lullaby, one he actually wrote himself for Jacob when he was just a baby. It wasn't on any album and the only people who have heard it were Jacob, Kara and Rachel. He wondered if Finn would pick up on the fact that it was an original song? He was kind of nervous singing it now. It was an extremely personal song to him and he didn't let most people hear the songs he wrote that were so close to him. He realized that he trusted Finn, though. Trusted him with his life and Jacob's. Trusted him with his heart and Jacob's heart as well. So he had no reason to be nervous. None at all.

When he finished the song, Jacob was fast asleep so Ozzy kissed his forehead and quietly tiptoed out of the room, making sure to bring his phone with him. "Are you still there?" He asked Finn once he was walking down the hallway toward his own bedroom.

"Yeah," Finn whispered, his voice sounding a bit choked up "Ozzy...that was beautiful. It's-wow. You wrote that didn't you? For Jacob?"

"I did," Ozzy confirmed as he sat down on his bed "When he was about four months old. It's his favourite."

"God Ozzy, I-" Finn broke off and Ozzy could hear shaky breathing on the other end of the line "I'm crying here and I'm not even ashamed to admit it. That was the most beautiful song I've ever heard. It just-your love for Jacob shines through and I know someday I'll have those same feelings you did when I have kids of my own and I can't- fuck, I can't wait. I want to be a Dad so badly someday. I want to be a Dad like you. I want to be to my child what you are to Jacob."

"Christ," Ozzy half laughed, half cried into the phone "Now I'm crying. You will have that someday, baby, and I hope to God I'm around to see it. I'm not trying to scare you or move too fast I just- I have to be honest. I want to be here when you have kids."

"I'm not scared," Finn said with complete certainty in his voice "I want you to be here. Someday, when I see my first child being born, I want it to be you that's beside me. I love you so much, Oz."

"Oh God," Ozzy laughed and cried at the same time "I love you, too. You're my everything, my baby."

"You're my everything, too," Finn sniffled into the phone.

"Alright, we have to stop now," Ozzy laughed "I'm a blubbering mess and you need to get some rest. I'll send you a text when we're leaving for your house later, okay?"

"Okay, love. See you soon,"

Ozzy said goodbye then hung up and flopped back onto his bed with his arms stretched out above his head. He must look like a dork with the huge grin that was on his face hurting his cheeks but he didn't care. He'd never felt this way in his life and he was going to enjoy it. He and Finn had a fresh start now. Finn was coming out so they could go out on dates together, they could go out with Jacob, he could go to football related events with Finn and Finn could go to music industry events with him, they could see movies, go to plays, whatever they wanted! Ozzy couldn't wait.

  
~~~

  
Finn actually managed to nap until five in the evening after he listened to Ozzy sing over the phone. His boyfriend had an amazing voice. He could sing softly like he did when he was singing that lullaby but he had a real rock voice as well. Both brought Finn to his knees practically.

Using his crutches by his bed to help him get up, he carefully made his way down the hallway and toward the bathroom. After he pissed he washed his hands and started the water in the tub for a bath then opened the door and called out to his sister.

"What's up?" Nori came out of her bedroom with a book in her hands.

"I left my phone in my room. Can you go downstairs and ask Dad or Pop to come up? I need to cover my bandage so it doesn't get wet," Finn asked his sister.

"Sure. Sit tight," Nori said, then she disappeared down the stairs to look for their parents.

A minute later, the bathroom door was pushed open and his Dad came in to help him wrap his knee so the bandage didn't get wet. "Hi, Bub. Good nap?"

"Yeah, it was great actually. I feel rested. Just gonna take a bath now before Ozzy and Jacob get here," Finn explained.

"Alright. Let me get your knee covered for you. How's it feel?" His Dad asked as he got to work covering Finn's knee.

"Not bad. The pain isn't as bad as it was right after surgery so I'm not taking the pain meds as much. They make me feel so out of it so I'd rather not take them if I don't have to. I might try going the day without one then take one before bed so I can sleep without any pain. I'll see how it goes," Finn said, then they were both quiet as his Dad finished covering his knee.

"Alright. All set. Want me to help you get into the tub or would you rather your privacy?" His Dad asked as he was putting things away in a drawer.

Finn looked at his Dad and dropped his boxers while laughing "Really Dad? I spend half my time naked in the locker room in front of dozens of other men. I think I can handle being naked in front of you."

"That's something you learned from your Pop," His Dad snorted "He'd walk through Stamford Bridge naked if I'd let him. So would you apparently."

Finn shrugged and held onto his Dad's shoulder as he stepped into the tub and lowered himself into the water letting his injured leg hang over the side of the tube "Pop always taught us the human body is nothing to be ashamed of no matter what you look like."

"Yes. Yes he did," His Dad shook his head and made sure Finn could reach the handheld shower head to rinse his hair "As long as all our children understand there's a right and wrong time and place to be naked. The first one of you that gets arrested for public indecency gets killed by me and your Pop will be right behind ya."

"You're all talk. You love us," Finn laughed.

"I do not! I hate the lot of you," His Dad said as he went to leave the bathroom. Of course he started cackling right before he left which ruined it all for him.

"Dad!" Finn called out, hopefully before his Dad got too far away.

"Yeah?" His Dad poked his head back in with a grin on his face.

"I forgot my phone in my room. Could you get it? I can text you when I'm done. I'll need help getting out,"

"Sure thing, Bub," His Dad said then disappeared for a minute coming back with Finn's phone and robe as well "Okay?"

"Thanks, Dad. I really do appreciate all your help," Finn said sincerely.

"It's fine. We want to help you. We love you and we'll be here for you through everything," His Dad smiled "Text when you're done "

When his Dad left, Finn listened to some music for a bit while he relaxed. Truth be told he didn't listen to anything but Ozzy's album as well as a few songs Ozzy sent him from the new album just a couple days ago. The new songs completely blew him away. Ozzy and his Pop did a great job writing together and recording, although Finn knew as far as writing went, all lyrics were written by Ozzy except for a couple of songs his Pop helped with. He was not only a gifted singer but songwriter as well and Finn was so proud of him he could burst.

After half an hour he washed his body over with body wash and washed his hair with shampoo and conditioner, carefully rinsing it out with the hand held shower head then he dried his hands and texted his Dad to help him stand up and manoeuvre out of the tub. Once he was on his feet he was able to dry off and put his robe on then make his way back to his room on his crutches to get dressed.

"Text me when you're coming downstairs. I don't want you on the stairs with crutches. All it takes is one slip and you could break your neck," His Dad warned him "I mean it, Finnegan. I know how independent you are and how stubborn you can be. Don't try to be a hero."

"Dad. I promise I won't be stupid. I know I'm proud and independent but I know how dangerous it is to walk down stairs on crutches. I won't do that. I can't be breaking my neck when my boyfriend and my little man are coming over to see me," Finn said with a huge grin on his face.

"You've really bonded with Jacob, haven't you? I can see in your eyes how much you love him," His Dad said quietly, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah," Finn propped his crutches up against the wall and took a seat on the bed "He's a special kid. He's really smart and he loves to talk, he's so happy all the time and so full of energy. I never get bored with him around. He's easy to love and and I do love him, very much."

"I'm not surprised. He's a good kid and you have a big heart. Can I give you some advice, though?" His Dad asked.

"Sure Dad,"

"Be careful with him. Make sure you and Ozzy are always communicating and that you have a healthy relationship. Make sure you're both in it for the long haul because once Jacob starts calling you Daddy someday and starts seeing you as his parent the harder it will be for him if you and Ozzy break up. Instead of losing his father's boyfriend he loses his Daddy. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I do," Finn nodded his head seriously "It's something I've thought about myself. Now that I'm home I plan on talking to Ozzy about a lot of things. See where we go from here and make sure we're on the same page."

His Dad stared at him with a grin on his face that after a minute or so started to get kind of creepy "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Sorry," His Dad laughed "I just can't believe how grown up and mature you are. It feels like it was just yesterday you were running around here, stripping your nappy off and pissing all over everything. That time Rory put his boot on and got a sock full of piss was hilarious. I still laugh when I think about it."

"Oh my God!" Finn started laughing loudly "How old was I?"

"Not quite two. You were being stubborn about potty training. I think you liked the nappies because they had fun and colourful designs on them," His Dad laughed "Oh hey! Even then you were walking around naked like your Pop!"

Finn and his Dad both roared with laughter at that, his Dad holding onto his side and sitting on the bed next to Finn. When they both calmed down, his Dad stood up again and headed for the door "I'll leave you to get dressed. Let me know when you want to come down."

"I will. Thanks Dad," Finn said through his remaining giggles.

When his Dad shut the door behind him, Finn towel dried his hair a bit then carefully hopped around his bedroom getting ready. It didn't take much since he knew they'd be out by the pool enjoying the hot weather. He simply put on some deodorant, a t-shirt and a pair of shorts then sprayed a bit of cologne in the air and he was good to go.

He texted his Dad again and a couple of minutes later his Pop showed up this time saying his Dad was cleaning the BBQ to make sure it was already to go. Finn decided he'd go outside to keep him company so when they got downstairs he made his way outside on his crutches, laughing when he saw the twins splashing around in the pool with Nori and Kate sitting on the edge keeping an eye on them.

He got himself situated in a lounge chair and propped his knee up with a pillow then chatted with his Dad for a bit while watching the twins playing. They were unbelievably cute. Finn loved watching them. If it weren't for his knee he'd be in there with them and they probably wouldn't come out for hours.

Just after six, Ozzy texted to say he and Jacob were on the way and Finn couldn't help but feel excited. He couldn't wait to see Jacob and watch him have fun with Matty and Charlie and Danny, Maddie and Penny when they got there. Finn couldn't do anything but sit around but for once in his life he was okay with that because he'd be watching the people he loves the most having fun and eating good food that his Dad and Rory cook on the grill.

When the doorbell goes off, Finn wants to get up and go meet Ozzy at the door but his Pop glares at him so he stays where he is and lets his Pop go inside to answer it. A couple of minutes later, Finn can hear Jacob chattering away to his Pop as they near the doors in the kitchen that lead outside to the back. He smiles wide and puts his glass of lemonade on the table next to his lounger and turns to look toward the door as Ozzy, Jacob and his Pop step out.

"Hi, Jakey!" Finn calls out to the little boy, a huge smile on his face as he takes in the blonde boy in his batman t-shirt and swim shorts.

"Finny!!!!" Jacob screams then takes off toward Finn, running around the lounger so he's standing on the side with Finn's good leg before he lunges his little body at Finn's chest and wraps his little arms around Finn's neck. "I missed you, Finny!"

"I missed you, too, baby boy," Finn held onto the little boy tightly, one hand cupping the back of his head as he kissed his cheek over and over again "I'm so happy you're here."

"Me too, Finny," Jacob giggled against his neck as Finn continued to kiss him.

After a moment, Finn rested his cheek on the top of Jacob's head and opened his eyes to see Ozzy and his parents watching from over by the door, smiles on their faces and if he's not mistaken, tears in Ozzy _and_ his Pop's eyes. Finn made sure to make eye contact with Ozzy and smiled back at him, mouthing 'hi' to him while he continued to hug Jacob tight.

"Are you doing okay, Finny?" Jacob pulled back to look at Finn and put both his little hands on Finn's cheeks "I remember you got your knee fixed and Papa told me I had to be careful not to hit it when I hugged you. That's why I came over on this side, cause your hurt knee is on that side," Jacob pointed at Finn's injured knee.

"Thank you, baby. You're so smart. Did you know that?" Finn tapped Jacob lightly on the chin, laughing when the little boy giggled "You did exactly right and I absolutely loved your hug. Best hug I've had in ages!"

Jacob beamed proudly at Finn before glancing over at Ozzy "I'm the best hugger! Papa tells me all the time!"

"Well he's right! You're the best hugger!" Finn pulled him in and hugged him again before pulling back and lifting Jacob off his lap "Now I think there's a couple of other people who are anxious to see you." Finn pointed over at his brothers who were being held back by Nori and Kate to give Jacob and Finn a few minutes alone.

Jacob squealed again, followed by Matty and Charlie and then the three boys were jumping around together and toppling over into a big pile on the grass. Finn cracked up laughing at the three boys, only stopping when Ozzy sat in the lounger next to him and leaned over for a kiss.

"Hey you," Ozzy whispered against his lips, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Hi, Pet," Finn murmured, curling his hand around the back of Ozzy's neck and pulling him in for a longer (but still PG) kiss.

"Pet?" Ozzy pulled back and quirked an eyebrow "I don't think you've ever called me that before."

"No?" Finn tilted his head to the side in thought then shrugged his shoulders "Just slipped out now I guess. I won't call you that if you don't want me to"

"I like it actually. It's a sweet term of endearment. I've only ever heard British or Irish people use it on TV. Kinda makes me feel special that I've got my own Brit to call me that," Ozzy grinned.

"I see. I've figured it out now. You only want me because I'm British," Finn teased, poking his boyfriend in the side.

Ozzy sighed dramatically and tipped his head back "You caught me. It's the accent. I can't survive without it."

"Jesus Christ you're both disgusting," A voice said from beside them and Finn looked up to see his brother looking down at them with a grossed out look on his face.

"Hi, Rory. Didn't hear you come in," Finn said. Considering Penny, Maddie and Danny had now joined the other three kids on the ground and there were now six screaming kids, it's a wonder Finn didn't notice him.

"I don't suppose you did. You were too busy being disgusting with your boyfriend," Rory shook his head and dropped the bag he was holding to the ground and pushing it under a chair out of the way.

"Don't start, Rory. You were even worse!" His Dad came over, cackling with laughter "I can't believe some of the shit I had to endure when you and Anna started dating. There wasn't any need for it either. She's deaf! You had no reason to talk while you were signing!"

"Oh sod off!" Rory tried to swat at their Dad with his t-shirt that he just took off.

"What are you talking about, Niall? He's still just as bad as he was almost twenty years ago. Right Anna?" His Pop said, signing so Anna didn't have to read his lips.

Finn didn't see what Anna responded with because he was too busy looking at his brother and laughing and poking at him. He only turned away from him when he heard his Dad exclaim "What the fuck? I didn't know you knew sign language!"

Finn knew he must be talking about Ozzy and sure enough, when he turned back to look at his boyfriend, he and Anna were signing back and forth.

"I learned it when I was a kid. I had a friend in school that was deaf. We lost touch when he moved but I still remember it. I'm a bit rusty. I'm sure I make mistakes here and there but I think I get by well enough. What do you think, Anna?" Ozzy spoke and signed at the same time. Finn really liked that he did that without anyone having to tell him to. He was making sure Anna was included in the conversation and not taking for granted that she'd always be able to read his lips.

"I haven't caught any mistakes in the few times you and I have spoken so I'd say you're pretty damn perfect," Anna said, looking impressed.

"Hey," Rory glared at his wife "Are you flirting with my brothers boyfriend?"

"Nah," Anna waved him off. "I don't stand a chance against your stud of a brother,"

"Oh but you'd flirt with him if you thought you had a chance would you?" Rory signed, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips.

"Well I have a thing for rock stars don't I? At least according to you I do. Or do you not remember our first Christmas as a couple when you got so pissed on the eggnog Bobby spiked, you were positive I was trying to steal Harry from Niall?" Anna quirked an eyebrow at Rory.

"Oh my fucking God!!" Finn roared with laughter, everyone else joining in, including Rory "How did I- how did I not know this?"

"Oh my God!" Rory bent over at the waist, steadying himself with a hand on Finn's shoulder "I forgot about that myself."

"You really must have been fucked up that night because there's nobody on this earth that could steal me from your Dad," Finn's Pop said when he stopped laughing "I haven't laid eyes on any other man since the first time I laid eyes on Niall. That's how it'll be until the day I die."

"Actually you have laid eyes on another man," Finn's Dad said matter of factly.

"Excuse me?" Finn's Pop looked at his Dad in disbelief.

"Yeah. Remember that time Cordo made you look at his arse because he was convinced the mole on his left arse cheek was changing shape?" His Dad asked, bursting out into cackling laughter again.

"Niallllll," His Dad whined "We're going to eat soon. Don't make me think about that. I never want to relive that again."

Finn sat back and watched his family laughing and bantering back and forth, a gleeful smile on his face. When Ozzy leans in to him and places a warm hand on his thigh, Finn wraps an arm around his shoulders and kisses his cheek "What do you think? Ready to spend lots of time with this crazy bunch?"

"Ready?" Ozzy laughed and turned his head to kiss Finn's lips "I can't fucking wait!"


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone!
> 
> I hope you're ready for some sexy times because there's a lot of it in this chapter! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

 

 

Ozzy was curled up on the couch with Finn one afternoon about a week after Finn was released from the hospital. It wasn't anything new for the couple. Ozzy had been spending a lot of time at Finn's since Finn was released from the hospital, cuddled together on his bed or on the couch watching films or tv shows on his I-pad. Thankfully Finn's parents didn't mind him being around so much and since school was out for the Summer, Jacob was having the time of his life hanging out with the twins and more often than not Penny, Maddie and Danny were over as well. Harry and Niall really loved having their large house full of family and the more Ozzy witnessed it, the more he was sure he wanted the exact same thing one day.

"Hello boys. How's everything going?" Harry walked into the living room carrying a small carry on bag and unbuttoning his light jacket with one hand.

"Hey, Pop," Finn paused the show they were watching and smiled at Harry "How was Belfast? Auditions go well?"

Harry finished unbuttoning his jacket and tossed it over the back of one of the armchairs "Belfast was cold and rainy but that's normal. Auditions went great, although for a few of the contestants I was wishing I'd brought your Dad along to translate. This one girl had such a thick accent I wasn't sure what she was saying half the time so I just smiled and nodded."

Ozzy laughed and removed his arm from around Finn so he could lean forward and grab his glass of water from the coffee table "I've never had trouble with the Irish accent. Maybe because there are a lot of Irish people in New York and I'm used to it. I can never understand Scottish people, though. Now _that_  is a strong accent."

"It is and Niall can imitate it perfectly. It's crazy!" Harry sat down in the armchair he draped his jacket over and crossed one leg over the other.

"Dad can imitate any accent. It's a weird talent of his. You should get him to do his Brooklyn accent," Finn turned to look at Ozzy "He sounds even more New York than you do!"

"Are you talking about me?" Niall walked into the room, stopping when he saw Harry sitting there, a big smile taking over his face "Hey, darlin'. When did you get back?"

"I just walked in five minutes ago," Harry stood up and wrapped Niall up in a hug, lifting him off his feet and kissing him a few times "I missed you. How are you? Everything okay here?"

"Everything's fine, darlin'" Niall laughed, his arms still wrapped around Harry's neck "We talked this morning before you left the hotel. Nothing has changed since then."

"I know. I can't help it," Harry led Niall over to the other couch and sat down pulling Niall down onto his lap "I hate leaving you alone to take care of the kids by yourself. We have a lot of kids. It's hard work sometimes."

"Hard work I wouldn't trade for anything," Niall answered "Besides, I had help. Nori and Kate do their part and Ozzy and Finn. I spent the day playing some tennis with the lads today. I'm not long back meself. I left Ozzy and Finn in charge. Mostly Ozzy since Finn can't get around too quickly yet."

"I may not be moving around much these days but I did have the pleasure of Ryanne spitting up half her milk on me this morning. So don't say I haven't done my part!" Finn glared at the three of them while Ozzy laughed.

"Ozzy," Harry looked at him suspiciously "Did you tell Ryanne to spit up on Finn so you could get him out of his shirt?"

Finn laughed incredulously beside him while Niall threw his head back, cackling loudly. Ozzy, however, played along, huffing loudly and falling back against the back of the couch with his arms folded across his chest "Obviously. She got it wrong, though. I told her to vomit on his shorts not his shirt."

Harry clearly wasn't expecting that response, judging by the look of surprise that crossed his face. The look quickly turned to one of glee then Harry burst out into loud laughter, leaving Ozzy the winner of their little exchange.

"Oh Harold. If you were trying to embarrass me you're going to have to do better than that. You should know that by now." Ozzy grinned "I don't embarrass easily."

"That was so good!" Niall says through his laughter "The look on your face, darlin'. Priceless."

"I think you're all crazy," Finn says but he's laughing along with them all, his cheeks full of colour that was missing after the surgery. Ozzy's glad to see it back. He hated seeing his boyfriend looking so pale.

"Anyway," Niall managed to stop laughing and clear his throat "Harry, I was thinking now that you're back from Belfast we could have a night with our youngest children and our grandchildren. Nori and Kate are having a girls night with Gemma but we'll have the twins and Ryanne and I'll text Rory to bring Penny, Maddie and Danny. He and Anna can have a night to themselves," Niall stopped and turned to Finn and Ozzy "Jacob is invited as well, Ozzy. We'd love to have him and I was thinking Finn would probably love to get out of the house and spend a night at your flat."

"Niall!" Harry sat up and nearly knocked Niall off his lap "That's brilliant! You've basically arranged for us to have all of our babies for the night and for our two eldest sons to get laid!"

"Pop!!!" Finn exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"What?" Harry shrugged his shoulders "What exactly do you think your brother and Anna will be doing with an empty house tonight? Cleaning out their closets? As for you, well-"

"No no, there's no me!" Finn shook his head wildly "We are not discussing my sex life!"

"Sex life?" Ozzy put on a confused face "What sex life? Like I told Rory, when Finn and I are alone, we play scrabble."

"Oh Jesus!" Niall cracked up laughing again, the loudness of it reverberating around the living room. Harry was laughing too, the kind of laughter where you laugh so hard it ends up being silent laughter.

"Oh my God," Finn smacked his arm and covered his mouth with his hand to try and hide his own laughter "You're so bad."

Ozzy winked and leaned in close to his boyfriend, close enough that his lips brushed against Finn's ear. He knew Finn would feel his lip ring brush against the tender skin of his earlobe and it would drive him crazy. Ozzy didn't mind driving Finn crazy. Not now that he knew he was going to have him all to himself tonight "Maybe I'm bad but you love it."

"Jesus Christ," Niall had fallen off Harry's lap and was now sprawled on the couch next to him "You know what, Ozzy? You're a little shit and I love it!"

"Of course you do!" Harry wiped at the tears in his eyes "You're just as much of a shit as he is!"

"That's true," Niall let out a few more giggles before straightening himself up on the couch "You should keep him, Finn. I like him. I think there's a future for him as my partner in crime."

Ozzy watched Finn's face while Niall was talking and as he went on, Finn's smile kept growing until he was beaming "I plan on keeping him, Dad. I won't be letting this one go again. Not without a fight."

"I won't be letting you go either," Ozzy smiled at Finn and leaned in to kiss his cheek "I'll be right there beside you fighting just as hard."

Both Harry and Niall smiled at them fondly then they excused themselves to call Rory and make a grocery list of snacks they wanted to get for their night with the kids.

"So. Are you up for a night alone with yours truly?" Ozzy asked Finn, a sly grin on his face.

Finn let out an exaggerated sigh and shook his head "You have no idea just how _up_ I am for some time alone with you."

"Oh my God!" Ozzy let out a shocked laughed "I can't believe you just said that."

Finn laughed and shrugged his shoulders "I'm nineteen, my boyfriend is hot, and it's been awhile."

"Enough said," Ozzy laughed and leaned in for a quick kiss "Want to tell me what you want to bring with you to my place? I'll go upstairs and get it for you. No point in you climbing the stairs if you don't have to."

Finn nodded in agreement and told Ozzy the things he'd need and where to find a bag to pack them in, then Ozzy went upstairs and got everything ready before heading back downstairs to explain everything to his son. Of course when Jacob found out he was staying the night at Harry and Niall's house he freaked out and he and the twins started running around screaming in excitement.

"They're so cute," Harry laughed as he watched the boys laughing and jumping around "I'm really happy they've hit it off so well. They're best buddies."

"They are that," Niall agreed, the same happy smile on his face that Harry had "Ozzy, when I talked to Rory he said he'd drop by your flat on the way over here to pick up clothes and such for Jacob so if you want to pack a bag for him when you get home..."

"Rory doesn't have to do that. I can come back over with a bag for him later," Ozzy said, not wanting to put anybody out.

"Nah," Niall waved a hand around dismissively "Rory has to drive by your flat to get here anyway. It was his idea."

"Okay. I'll get a bag ready for Jacob then. Thanks guys. Jacob is so happy. That makes _me_ happy," Ozzy said sincerely "You know how to reach me if you need anything."

Harry and Niall both nodded then they said goodbye to him and Finn before taking the boys to play outside in the back.

"Will we take your car then?" Ozzy asked as he and Finn got ready to leave.

"I don't know. Can you drive on the other side of the road?" Finn asked him, a weary look on his face.

"Hey! Just for that I'm going to leave you here!" Ozzy protested jokingly.

"Well excuse me! You're used to driving in America. It'll be your instinct to drive on the wrong side of the road." Finn defended himself, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"It's not the wrong side of the road. Your side is the wrong side and yes, I'm capable of driving on your wrong side. Hands on the wheel and foot on the gas pedal, it's the same here as it is in America."

"Oh God," Finn said, amusement lighting up his eyes and making Ozzy smile fondly at him.

"Shut up you!" Ozzy poked Finn in the shoulder and laughed "Where's your keys? I'll put your bag in the back."

"They're hung up on the key ring by the front door. The ones with the football on them," Finn said as he gathered up his crutches to head toward the front door.

Ozzy nodded and followed behind Finn, grabbing his keys and heading out to the driveway to unlock the car and put Finn's bag in the back. Once he did that, he helped Finn down the stairs and into the front passenger seat, putting his crutches in the back with his bag.

The drive to Ozzy's place wasn't long and they spent the time singing along to the radio, laughing and goofing around. When they arrived they went inside and decided to have a look in the kitchen at the groceries Ozzy bought the other day so they could decide what to make themselves for dinner.

"How about some chicken parm?" Ozzy asked as he poked around in the fridge. He felt Finn walk up behind him and put his hands on his hips, slowly sliding them down over his ass and squeezing gently. Ozzy stood up and moved back into his touch, letting the fridge door swing closed.

"We can definitely have that for dinner. Later." Finn murmured as he trailed his lips from Ozzy's ear and down over his neck "All I'm interested in right now, though, is kissing you, touching you, being close to you...if that's what you want too?"

Ozzy closed his eyes, savouring the feel of Finn's arms around him and the way his lips felt against his skin. He turned around to face him, winding his arms around his neck and pressing his body right up against his "I want that more than anything. I've missed you a lot, Finn. I can't even explain how much."

"You don't have to. I missed you just as much," Finn said as he pulled Ozzy into a hot kiss, his hands sliding down over Ozzy's butt cheeks, kneading them.

Ozzy moaned into the kiss and slowly started grinding his hips so that his crotch was rubbing up against Finn's. His dick was definitely getting interested and he could feel that Finn's was as well, so he started to grind harder and pushed Finn back against the island, pinning him there and deepening the kiss even more. His fingers slid up into Finn's hair, threading through the soft locks and pulling just hard enough to get a soft moan from his boyfriend.

"Oz..." Finn panted against his mouth when they broke the kiss "Baby, that feels so good. I want you so bad."

"I want you, too," Ozzy pressed kisses below Finn's ear and continued down, nipping at the delicate skin on his neck until he reached where his neck meets his shoulder. He pressed open mouthed kisses there, the noises Finn made making his dick grow harder "What about your knee? Can you make it upstairs?"

"Yeah," Finn nipped at his lips, his teeth catching a bit on his lip ring "Not quickly enough, though. I don't want to wait to get my hands on you."

"Living room then. The couch. Fuck knows it's big enough. I've finally found a reason not to complain about it being too big," Ozzy laughed and somehow managed to pull himself away from Finn so they could head into the living room.

"I want you to ride me," Finn whispered in his ear from behind when they made it into the living room. "I like watching you on top of me. I like putting my hands all over you and feeling your abs work under my hands. I like watching the way the muscles in your thighs flex when you lift yourself up and down. I-"

"Jesus Christ," Ozzy cursed, cutting Finn off. He reached for his boyfriend and pushed him down on the couch, watching as his eyes followed all of Ozzy's movements as he pulled his shirt off over his head "Don't you move. I'm gonna ride you so hard- I just need to run upstairs and get some lube and condoms. Do _not_...go anywhere."

Ozzy heard Finn giggling behind him as he took off jogging down the hall toward the stairs. He took them two at a time, nearly colliding with the wall at the top of the stairs because he was going so fast. He slowed down a little, knowing he and Finn wouldn't be doing anything if he smacked his head off something and gave himself a concussion. When he got to his bedroom he got what he needed from his bedside table then quickly headed back downstairs to find Finn naked on the couch with his phone in his hand.

"I like this," Ozzy waved his hand in Finn's direction, indicating his nakedness "I like it a lot. The phone...I could do without."

Finn laughed and tossed his phone down onto the coffee table, his hand moving to his dick and slowly stroking it, making Ozzy lick his lips because he couldn't wait to get his mouth on him "A text came through from Rory. He said he'd be over around five to get Jacob's bag."

Ozzy stopped unzipping his jeans long enough to look at his watch and grinned when he saw the time "Lots of time for us then!"

"Yeah, now come on, I want you on top of me," Finn beckoned him over.

Ozzy wasted no time stripping the rest of his clothes off, a thrill running through his body when he saw the way Finn looked at him with darkening eyes and biting his bottom lip. He tugged on his own hard dick while making eye contact with Finn and as Finn's eyes darkened even more and he let out a little moan, Ozzy thought it was quite possible he could stand there and get himself off pretty quickly without Finn laying even one hand on him.

He wasn't going to do that, though. He carefully straddled his boyfriend, watching out for his knee, and ran his hands up over his abs and broad chest. He leaned down and kissed him, delving his tongue inside Finn's warm mouth and kissing him passionately as he moved his hips in a slow grind. Finn's cock kept sliding along his crack after each movement of his hips and his own cock kept sliding over Finn's abs making both men moan and breathe harder and eventually they had to pull apart to gasp for breath.

"Fuck!" Finn gasped, his hands sliding down over Ozzy's back and onto his butt cheeks, pulling them apart so he could press his thumb against Ozzy's hole "I could come like this. God, it'd be so fucking easy. My body feels on fire everywhere you touch me."

"Yeah," Ozzy breathed out, his hips speeding up as he felt Finn's thumb pressing against his hole "I want you inside me, though. I need to feel you. I need you to fuck me. Hard."

"God yes," Finn's own hips started to move beneath Ozzy, matching Ozzy's own movements. They both moaned loudly then Finn reached out and grabbed the lube from the coffee table, coating his fingers before bringing his hand back to Ozzy's ass. "I missed this arse. Always takes my cock so well."

Ozzy smirked and leaned down so that they were almost touching chest to chest "Guess I was made for you then."

Finn grinned up at him then tilted his head up for a kiss at the same time he slid his index finger inside him. He broke the kiss, moaning against Finn's lips as he moved the finger in and out at a steady pace, getting him as loose as he could with one finger. When he added a second one, Ozzy started slowly riding Finn's fingers, arching his back and moaning low in his throat while watching the way Finn was watching _him_ and enjoying the show.

"Christ," Finn cursed, his tongue coming out to lick over his bottom lip "You have no idea how sexy you are do you?" Finn's eyes raked over his body as he slowly rode Finn's fingers "All those tattoos...I had no idea how into tattoos I was until I met you."

"Maybe we'll have to get you one someday then," Ozzy said, gasping when Finn's fingers hit a sensitive spot "Fuck! Add another finger, baby. I need another finger."

Finn did as he asked and soon the both of them were panting, their chests glistening with sweat as they moved against each other. Finally, Ozzy pulled himself off of Finn's fingers and reached for the condom on the table, ripping it open with his teeth and carefully sliding down to roll it on his boyfriends dick.

"Okay?" Ozzy asked as he used his hand to put lube on the condom "Knee okay?"

"Perfect. So fucking perfect," Finn bit his lip and moaned lowly as Ozzy tugged on his dick "Please, baby. I need you."

Ozzy stared down at his God of a boyfriend, so many thoughts going through his head, the most prominent one being that he loves the man beneath him so fucking much. The next most prominent thought being that he can't believe how lucky he is to have the sexiest man alive all to himself and not only is he sexy but he's the most amazing, sweetest, gentle person as well. The third most prominent thought being now that he's got his boyfriend back, he was going to ride him so hard both their heads would be spinning.

"Oz?" Finn looked up at him, the expression on his face turned to worry "You okay, pet?"

"Yeah," Ozzy smiled down at Finn fondly "I was just looking at you and wondering how I got so lucky. You're the love of my life, Finn. I know that without a doubt. You're it for me."

"Oh God," Finn sounded choked up as he looked up at Finn with glistening eyes "Really? God, Ozzy, I feel the same way. I love you so much."

Ozzy smiled and leaned down for a quick kiss before he positioned himself over Finn's cock and slowly lowered himself down, taking a minute to let himself adjust before he started moving. His boyfriend was definitely not on the small side, that's for sure.

"Fuck," Finn cursed and moved his hands to grip Ozzy's hips "I've dreamt about this- how good you feel. I missed this so much."

"So did I, baby," Ozzy began to move his hips slowly in a figure eight shape, moaning lowly as he felt himself opening up and adjusting to his boyfriends cock "I dreamt about you every night. Your face, your lips, your smile, the way your hands felt on my bare skin, the way your cock filled me up just right. I've never missed something or someone so much in my life."

Ozzy heard Finn's breath hitch at his words and his grip tighten on his hips. He loved how Finn's fingers felt digging into his skin. Loved the look in his boyfriends eyes when he opened his own eyes and saw him staring up at him in awe, like he's the most precious creature on earth. It made him feel so good inside, made him want to chase his release as quickly as he could.

"That's it, Pet," Finn murmured as Ozzy started to move his hips faster "There you go. Fuck yourself on my cock."

Jesus Christ. Why did dirty talk sound so hot in a British accent? It fucking turned him on so much. He leaned down, bracing himself with both palms on Finn's chest and kissed him filthily, their tongues battling against each other as Ozzy fucked himself faster on Finn's cock. Finn's hands moved around to grab onto his ass, making Ozzy moan into the kiss and pull back so he could start lifting himself up and down, bouncing on Finn's cock.

"Fuck, you look so good. Wish you could see yourself right now. See how good you look on my cock," Finn murmured, his breathing starting to pick up as he moved his hips faster under Ozzy, fucking up into him quick and hard.

"God!" Ozzy breathed out heavily, throwing his head back and just letting the sensations of Finn's cock hitting his prostate take over his body. It was so good, so fucking good. It was almost like he couldn't quite go fast enough or hard enough. He was right on the edge and he just needed...more. "Please! Finn! Harder! I'm so close. Oh God, please!"

Finn cursed and gripped onto his hips again, fucking up into Ozzy so hard that all that could be heard was the sound of their bodies slapping together and their heavy breathing.

"Oh fuck," Finn let go of his hip with one hand and reached for Ozzy's hard, red, cock. He started to jerk him off quickly making Ozzy cry out from the pleasure "I'm gonna come, Oz. I can't-"

"Yes! Do it, baby. Let go. Let me see you," Ozzy panted, his eyes nearly rolling back in his head when Finn's cock hit his prostate at the same time as he twisted his wrist just right while jerking him off.

Another minute passed then Finn's hips slowed down and he moaned, his eyes closing in ecstasy. Ozzy watched as he continued to grind his hips on Finn's cock, the look on his boyfriends face tipping him over the edge. He called out Finn's name and released over Finn's hand and lower abdomen, his come seeming to come in spurts that were never ending. He'd never come so hard in his life! Not to the point where he felt on the verge of blacking out.

"Fuck," Finn's hand slowed down and he let go of Ozzy's cock, reaching his free hand up around Ozzy's neck and pulling him down into a kiss that ended up being the two of them panting into each other's mouths "You're incredible. _God_ , Oz."

"I love you," Ozzy breathed out against Finn's lips "I love you so much, baby."

Finn smiled against Ozzy's mouth then pecked his lips quickly "I love you, too, pet."

"Pet," Ozzy grinned "I really love that. I don't know why but I do."

"Guess I'll have to call you that more often then," Finn said with a fond look on his face.

Ozzy smiled at Finn then pushed himself up and off him, telling Finn he'd be right back with some towels to clean themselves up. When he got to the bathroom he wet two cloths with warm water and wiped himself off, including the lube around his ass, then he took the other cloth back out to Finn and helped clean him off before laying down naked with him and pulling a blanket over them.

"This is perfect," Finn murmured, his lips brushing against Ozzy's temple.

Ozzy hummed his agreement then they were quiet for five minutes before Ozzy remembered something he wanted to ask Finn for awhile but got sidetracked by their breakup "Baby? Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course," Finn gently kissed his temple and ran his fingers through Ozzy's hair.

Ozzy propped himself up on one elbow so he could look into Finn's eyes "I was just wondering why you always top? Don't get me wrong-I'm not complaining or anything. I enjoy being the bottom and will happily remain the bottom in our relationship. I guess I've just been worrying that you top because you had a bad experience while bottoming and I'd hate it if that were the case. The thought of someone not treating you right makes my blood boil."

Finn pressed a kiss to Ozzy's lips then pulled him back down against his side and held him close "No, I've never had a bad experience because I've never bottomed."

"Really?" Ozzy lifted his head up again to look at Finn, surprise on his face "You've never wanted to try it?"

"It's not that. I do want to try it, I just haven't had the chance yet. You see," Finn moved them both around a bit so that they were both laying on their sides with their heads propped up by two pillows "When I realized I liked everyone and not just girls, I wanted to experiment a bit and see what it was like to be with a man. Brian was a good friend, I trusted him, he had experience so I asked him to show me some things. I ended up liking him as more than friends with benefits and we tried a relationship but realized pretty quickly we had nothing in common besides football and broke up," Finn chuckled a little "Until I met you, he's the only guy I'd had sex with. My other relationships were with women."

"Right," Ozzy nodded "You told me about Brian. Did he not like topping? Is that why you never bottomed?"

"No. He was okay with either. It was just- something my parents said to me. When they found out about Rory, he was already fifteen and had 'the talk' with his Mum so they didn't really have to do it with him so they started with me when I was thirteen. Of course I was embarrassed to be talking about sex with my parents but I _did_ listen and they talked about how sex isn't always fun and pleasurable. It can be painful at times, especially for a girl's first time, so it's important to be good to your partner and make sure they're comfortable. I guess since they're gay, they decided to speak to me about not only women but men as well. They didn't just assume I'd be straight. Same with Nori and Kate when they talked to them.

"Anyway, something they said really stuck with me. They said sex between two men can be painful if not done right. They said it's best to wait until you're with someone you trust implicitly, someone you know without a doubt will be gentle with you and listen to you, take care of you. If I did that, my experience would be a good one. That always stuck with me and I did trust Brian but we were mostly friends with benefits and I just didn't feel comfortable doing it that way with him. I wanted it to be with someone I was in a relationship with for longer than the short time we gave it a try."

"Wow," Ozzy was impressed. Not only with Finn for making the decision but with his parents for thinking to talk to their children about sex openly and honestly, gay or straight. "I wish I had been close to my mother when I was a teenager so that maybe she would have encouraged me to do the same thing. Your parents are pretty amazing."

"Yeah, they are. I'm really lucky and I know that. That's why I never take them for granted." Finn said "Your relationship with your Mum is good now though, right?"

"Oh yeah. We'll never be as close as you are with your parents but we mended fences. Before my Dad left, I blamed her for letting him stay for so long when he was such an asshole to us all. Then when he left I went into my rebellious phase and all we did was fight. Once my sister helped me out of that and I got into music, Mom and I had a long talk and from there we slowly started to like each other again. We always loved each other we just...didn't like each other for awhile." Ozzy explained.

"Well I can't wait to meet her someday. Your sister, too. I know I've talked to her but it'll be nice to meet her in person," Finn said.

"You will. Right now, though, I'd like to take a little nap with my sexy boyfriend who just fucked me really good," Ozzy grinned.

Finn laughed "A nap could be good. I plan on fucking you good more than once today. We need our energy."

Ozzy snorted and cuddled himself into his boyfriends chest. He kissed his neck softly then was out like a light before he knew it.

  
~~~

  
Niall quietly tiptoed out of the living room, making sure to leave a lamp on in the hall in case any of the kids woke up to go to the bathroom, and made his way upstairs to the master bedroom where his husband was waiting for him.

"Hey. Everyone asleep?" Harry came out of the en suite, wiping his face with a towel. He was wearing nothing but a tight pair of boxers that rode low on his hips and the dog tags around his neck that Niall had given him on one of their anniversaries. They rested there between his two pecs and Niall couldn't help but let his eyes linger there. First, because even though he was close to fifty, Harry has kept himself in top shape and he had amazing pecs and abs and Niall wasn't missing the fact that his nipples were a bit perky right now because it was a little breezy in the room with the window open. Second, because it always made him feel warm and fuzzy inside to see Harry wearing things he bought for him, things that had meaning to the both of them.

"Niall?" Harry looked at him quizzically "Is everyone okay downstairs?"

"Oh," Niall shook his head and lifted his eyes from Harry's chest to his face "Yeah. Everyone is good. Fast asleep. Completely worn out."

Harry grinned at him and tossed the towel behind him into the bathroom "I'd say they're worn out. We barely stopped all day and night. You triple checked the fire pit out back right? Made sure it's completely out? Starting a fire in Central London would be a bad idea."

"Don't worry, darlin'. It's all taken care of," Niall assured him as he pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it on the armchair in the corner "You checked on Ryanne?"

"Yes. She's fine. Needed a nappy change then went back to sleep pretty quickly," Harry came over to him and wrapped his arms loosely around him, linking his hands together and resting them on Niall's lower back "Hi."

Niall looked up into Harry's eyes, an amused smile on his face "Hello to you, too."

Harry looked down at him with a dimpled smile, the same smile that still made him feel things over twenty years later "Have a good day?"

"It was really good, yeah," Niall leaned in and kissed Harry slowly, his lips lingering over Harry's for a moment "Our three youngest children, our three grandchildren and Jacob...well I have a feeling that when all is said and done, Jacob will be our grandchild someday, too."

"I think so," Harry hummed in agreement "Finn and Ozzy have some challenging times ahead of them, what with Ozzy touring and Finn spending months working at physical therapy to get his knee back to where it needs to be, but they'll get through it. They've already gotten through one obstacle. Me."

"Darlin', I thought you were going to try and let that go?" Niall reached up and lightly brushed Harry's hair back off his forehead.

"I am. I promise. I was just trying to say they've proven they can work through tough situations. I'm really happy for them. Never in a million years did I think Ozzy would end up with one of our children when I first met him," Harry laughed "He's been through a lot in his young life. He deserves to be happy. He deserves someone like our son. They both deserve each other. It's good."

"You wanna know what I deserve?" Niall asked Harry cheekily, his hands running down over his pecs and abs until they reached the elastic at the top of his boxers.

"I don't know," Harry replied just as cheekily "What do you deserve Mr. Horan?"

"I think..." Niall slipped his hands under the waistband of Harry's boxers and moved them around to squeeze his bare arse "That I deserve to have a little fun with my husband's amazingly fit body."

"Oh yeah?" Harry moved in closer, dipping his head to press his lips close to Niall's ear "And why do you think you deserve that? What's in it for your husband?"

Niall bit his lip as Harry's warm breath brushed against his ear, making him shiver a little and have goosebumps form on his skin. Everything about this man drove him crazy and Niall's desire for him hasn't dimmed even one bit since the day they first met.

"Well," Niall moved his hands back up to grip Harry's hips "I did manage to build a pretty magnificent fort in the living room in which all the kids are happily sleeping under right now, all by myself. Of course the kids were there 'helping' but we both know that actually only made my job harder."

"That's true," Harry hummed "You did a very, very good job," Harry kissed along his jaw until he reached Niall's mouth and whispered "You still haven't told me what's in it for me?"

Niall didn't answer, just smirked and started pushing Harry backwards toward their large bed, catching him by surprise and making him make a squawking noise before he landed on his back on the mattress with Niall straddling him "What's in it for you is..." Niall kissed his lips, slow and languid until Harry made a whimpering noise "...every inch of your body pleasured by your husband who adores you and many, many, orgasms."

"Well," Harry cleared his throat and loosely wrapped his arms around Niall's neck "If I'm the one having the orgasms, what's in it for you?"

"Me?" Niall asked, rolling his hips gently so that his half hard dick rubbed against Harry's, making Harry close his eyes for a minute and bite his lip "Oh I'll be getting off, too. I think you're well aware what it does to me to see the look on your face when you come. It's the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen."

Harry smiled up at him, a sweet, closed mouth smile that brilliantly showed off his dimples. He looked so sweet and innocent when he smiled like that and Niall never knew if he wanted to wrap him up tight and protect him from the world or completely ruin him.

"I love you, Harry," Niall whispered, getting serious for a minute "I'm the luckiest man alive and I know that. You're my beautiful, gorgeous husband. I will never take you for granted."

"I love you, too, and I know you'll never take me for granted. I'd really like you to take _advantage_ of me now, though, because you've been teasing me and promising orgasms for the past few minutes and I'm not moving until I get what I was promised." Harry says, a mock stern look on his face.

Niall burst out laughing then kissed Harry quickly before jumping off of him and running over to lock their bedroom door. When he was sure it was locked and no kids could walk in on them, he dropped his jeans and boxers on the floor and walked back over to the bed completely naked, climbing on top of Harry like a predator.

"I was watching you today," Niall murmured as he kissed along Harry's jaw and down over his neck "With our kids, our grandkids, and Jacob," Niall moved down along Harry's collarbone and over his left pec until he reached his nipple. He gently blew on the nipple, making it pucker and making Harry make a low noise, like a purr, in his throat "Every single one of them adores you. You make them laugh and you play with them- it's really sexy ya know? How good you are with them."

"Is it?" Harry asked, his eyes closed when Niall glanced up at him. He was enjoying himself already and Niall wasn't surprised. He knew his husband, knew what he liked, how he liked to be talked to, how very pliant he always was under Niall's hands and lips.

"Mhmm," Niall hummed before he licked slowly over Harry's nipple, his warm tongue pressed flat against it. He used his fingers to play with the other nipple, flicking it and squeezing it while his tongue wrecked havoc on the other one. He repeatedly licked over it, caught it between his teeth and sucked on it until it was slick with spit and Harry was arching his back off the bed "You like that, don't you darlin'? Always react so perfectly for me."

Harry panted and moaned underneath him, his long fingers embedded in Niall's hair. Niall loved them there and of course Harry knew that. They'd been having sex together for well over twenty years. They had no secrets from each other, which is one of the reasons it was so amazing that they still had an incredible sex life. You would think it would be boring by now but it wasn't. They were still just as hot for each other as they were in the beginning.

Niall moved down, away from Harry's nipples, leaving open mouth kisses along his torso and over his abs, following his happy trail to the waistband of Harry's boxers. He blew gently over Harry's belly button while he hooked his fingers inside his boxers and pulled them down and off his long legs. "Look at you," Niall hummed as he knelt at the bottom of the bed and took in his husband. He was flawless. Perfect, smooth skin, long legs, lean muscles. Niall couldn't believe how lucky he was sometimes.

"Niall..." Harry whined, arching his back as he ran his own hand down over his stomach toward his cock "Stop staring and touch me or I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

"Oh no you don't," Niall chuckled as he climbed back over Harry and swatted his hand away "Not tonight. Tonight you're all mine."

"'M all yours every night," Harry looks down at him with a cheeky smile on his face and god help him he was so in love with this man. So, so in love.

"You are, aren't ya darlin'?" Niall murmured softly as he ran his hands up over Harry's muscular thighs "Been all mine since the day we first met. Even if we didn't know it yet, we belonged to each other."

"Mhmm," Harry hummed, the look on his face one of adoration, adoration for _him_ and that did something crazy to Niall's heart. It did every time.

Continuing on with what he was doing, Niall crawled up the bed and in between Harry's legs, kissing along one of his thighs while he did so. When he got to Harry's cock, he took it in one hand and slowly licked from his balls all the way to the tip, making sure to swirl his tongue over the head a bit before he pulled away and slowly jerked Harry off while watching the look of pleasure on his face. His eyes were closed and he was panting ever so slightly, his bottom lip nice and red from biting on it.

After allowing himself a nice, long look at his gorgeous husbands face, he got back to what he was doing, taking the head of Harry's cock into his mouth and sucking on it, swirling his tongue around and around until Harry made a keening noise in his throat. Niall knew he wanted, no _needed_ , more so he opened up his throat and started to take Harry's cock down inch by inch while hollowing his cheeks and pressing his tongue flat against the thick vein. Harry moaned and bucked his hips up but Niall was ready for him and took him down easily, letting Harry fuck his throat for a minute before he put a stop to it by holding Harry's hips down with both his palms.

"Oh fuck!" Harry panted, his chest starting to lightly glisten with sweat "You feel so good. Your mouth."

Niall hummed around Harry's dick, making his husband curse and moan deep in his throat from the vibrations. He knew how much Harry loved that, not only for how it felt but he had told Niall before that he loved looking down and seeing his lips wrapped around his cock, loved seeing how deep Niall could take him, then stay there without any gag reflex at all. It drove him wild and tonight was no different.

"Yeah. Yeah. Keep doing that," Harry panted, his abs flexing as he tried to lift his hips again but Niall wouldn't let him, he held him down with his hands and continued to hum around his cock until he finally had to lift himself off to take a breath and swallow the built up saliva in his mouth.

"You really want to fuck my mouth don't you?" Niall smirked at Harry as he worked his cock with his hand "You want to come down my throat huh?"

"Fuck, yes. You take my cock so well. You're the only one. Nobody has ever been able to let me use them like you do. The first time you did it...God, Niall, it was over twenty years ago but I can still see your face like it was yesterday. I still wank to that," Harry told him, sounding breathless as he spoke.

Niall froze for a minute because he's pretty sure Harry has never told him _that_ before. He's pretty sure he'd remember something that hot. He's pretty sure he'd remember something that turned him on this fucking much. "Jesus Christ, Harry. You-you never told me that before."

"What? That I wank to the memory of the first time you deep throated me and let me fuck your mouth?" Harry asked, picking his head up off the pillow a bit.

"Yes! That, for fuck's sake," Niall cursed and tried to take a deep breath to stop his own cock from throbbing. He was not about to come before his husband.

"I thought I did," Harry said with a confused look on his face "Or I meant to anyway. It wasn't a secret or anything. I'm definitely not ashamed of it."

"God," Niall groaned and pressed his forehead against Harry's stomach, trapping Harry's cock against his chest "You really are going to kill me someday. You really, really are."

"Not before I get to fuck your mouth I hope," Harry whined and started wiggling his hips around under Niall, making Niall lift his head and start laughing.

"Yeah darlin', you can fuck my mouth. That's what tonight is all about. I want to make you feel good. It's just a bonus that making you feel good makes me feel good too," Niall winked at his husband then got back into position, wrapping his lips around Harry's cock and sinking down. He rested his hands on Harry's hips but didn't apply any pressure this time, didn't hold him back at all. He wanted Harry to use him until he came down his throat.

Harry began to snap his hips up, gaining a steady rhythm, his breathing becoming heavier with each thrust. Niall moaned around his cock because Harry wasn't the only one who enjoyed this. Niall loved pleasing his husband this way, loved the weight of Harry's cock on his tongue, loved the feel of the thickness moving in and out past his lips that were slick with precome, loved the way his eyes watered, loved the way Harry tasted, loved the noises Harry made and he really fucking loved the look on Harry's face when he finally came down his throat.

"God, you look so good taking my cock," Harry panted, stopping for a minute so Niall could take some deep breaths and wipe a hand across his mouth.

"Yeah? You like the way I sound too, don't you? Voice all wrecked from your cock?" Niall said, a smirk on his face and his fingernails digging into Harry's thighs.

"Fuck," Harry moaned "You sound so sexy. Come here, baby."

Niall went eagerly when Harry slipped his fingers into his hair again and brought his cock to Niall's lips. He opened up and Harry began to fuck his mouth again, one of Niall's hands moving from Harry's thigh to wrap around his own hard cock and start pumping. He was close and he knew Harry was too. He could tell from the sounds Harry was making and the way his thrusts were getting sloppy.

"I'm close. God, I'm so close," Harry panted, his hips starting to jerk wildly "Oh fuck!" He cried out and Niall felt the come hitting the back of his throat. He began swallowing immediately, milking Harry of every last drop before he pulled off and crawled up over Harry to come on his chest.

"Yeah. Fuck," Harry cursed "Come all over me."

Niall intended to and that's exactly what he did the minute Harry covered his hand with his own and helped him over the edge. He moaned and spilled his come all over Harry's chest then collapsed down on the bed beside him, sweat trickling down his temple. "Jesus," He laughed "We're filthy."

"Yeah," Harry turned his head to look at him, giggling "I love it."

Niall laughed and leaned in to kiss his husband tenderly "Shower?"

"Lead the way!"

 

~~~

 

Ozzy woke up in the middle of the night and rolled over to reach for his boyfriend but the bed beside him was empty. Sitting up he rubbed at his eyes and reached over to turn the lamp on the bedside table on. Once the room was bathed in light, he looked around but didn't see Finn anywhere. Across the room the en suite door was open and the room was dark so he wasn't in the bathroom. Where did he go?

Pushing the blankets back, he shivered a little since he was still completely naked after their shower together earlier. He quickly pulled on some boxers and grabbed his robe from the bathroom then went downstairs to look for Finn. He found him on the couch with a cup of tea and his I-pad open watching something on low volume.

"Hey," Ozzy said softly as he walked into the living room "Couldn't sleep?"

"Hi, Pet," Finn put his cup of tea down on the table and held his arm out to Ozzy, a warm smile on his face "Did I wake you with this?" Finn indicated the I-pad.

"No, not at all," Ozzy yawned and sat down next to Finn on the couch, pulling his knees up to his chest and letting Finn put his arm around him and pull him close "I just woke up and was surprised you weren't next to me. What are you watching?" Ozzy tipped his head toward the I-pad.

"Schindler's list," Finn hummed, his fingers running slowly through Ozzy's hair and threatening to lull him to sleep.

"That's pretty heavy for three o'clock in the morning don't you think?" Ozzy asked, surprised. He remembers watching that film in high school in World History class. It was a pretty heavy topic.

"I guess. In two years it'll be the one hundredth anniversary of the Jews being liberated from Aushwitz. I was feeling sorry for myself and I needed something to remind me of how lucky I am and this seemed like a good option. What I'm going through is nothing compared to what these brave people went through," Finn said, his voice sounding sad.

"Finn," Ozzy sat up, wide awake now. He took the I-pad and closed it, plunging the room into silence "Whatever you're feeling, you have a right to feel that way. You can't compare your situation to other people's. Every situation, every person, is different. Do you want to talk about it?"

Finn sighed and looked at Ozzy. He looked so small and stressed in that moment that it nearly broke Ozzy's heart "I'm scared. My PT starts in two days and I guess I'm just worried that once I get started, I might have to face the very real reality that my knee will no longer be strong enough to play competitively. I'm not ready to hear that yet, Oz. I'll probably never be ready to hear that."

"God, baby," Ozzy moved around so that he could hug Finn tight. Hold him in his arms the way he held Jacob after the little boy had a nightmare "I wish there was something I could say to make this better for you. The waiting to see must be unbearable for you. All I can do is promise you I'll be right here every step of the way. You won't be waiting alone. Whether it's good news or bad news, you won't get it alone. Anything you need, all you have to do is ask."

"Thank you," Finn whispered and kissed Ozzy's neck "That actually helps calm me, ya know? Knowing you'll be with me no matter what. I'm really lucky to have such a huge family, a huge support system. Sometimes I just can't help but let my thoughts get away from me. You were asleep and it was so quiet and I just started thinking..."

"I don't fucking know how you were awake after all the sex we've had today. You're a beast!" Ozzy snorted out a laugh.

Finn laughed loudly and Ozzy sat back, watching him as he threw his head back and a big smile appeared on his face. He really was the most gorgeous man Ozzy had ever seen. "Oh you wore me out plenty. It's been an amazing night."

"Do you think you're ready to come back to bed? Try to sleep a bit? Or I can stay up with you if you want?" Ozzy offered.

"No, I'm ready to go back to bed. I have to tell you something first, before I forget," Finn stopped Ozzy from standing up "I was going to try and get my teammates together to talk to them when I go in for PT but there's no way I'll get everyone together during time off. So I just went ahead and started a group chat in whatsapp and explained everything there. I would have liked to do it in person but I don't want to wait that long for everyone to know about us."

"Okay," Ozzy said slowly, trying to wrap his brain around this. He wasn't mad or anything, he knew this was Finn's plan all along, to tell the team first, but he wasn't expecting it at three in the morning and he couldn't help but giggle for that reason "I'm sure your teammates who don't mute their phones, _loved_ being woken up in the middle of the night so you could tell them about your sexuality."

Finn looked at him for a moment, his eyes shifting to the left, then the right like he was thinking, then he started giggling as well "I actually never thought of that!"

"No, I know you didn't," Ozzy's laughter turned into full on laughter now "Did you get any replies?"

"I don't know," Finn said through his giggles "I put my phone down then started watching the film. I'll check now."

Finn reached for his phone on the coffee table and put in his passcode while Ozzy got his laughter under control. He started scrolling through his whatsapp group with a smile on his face so it must not be anything bad at least.

"Got a few replies so far," Finn said after a minute "Remember Diego? You met him a few times. The first time when we all went out to that club."

"Yes, he followed me on Twitter and I followed him back. He has some of the best tweets," Ozzy laughed as he thought about the crazy Spaniard Finn had become good friends with.

"Yeah he's nuts," Finn chuckled "He sent me a private text, all in caps. Here," Finn handed him the phone to have a look.

**OH MY GOD! YOU ASSHOLE! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I COULD FEEL THE TENSION BETWEEN YOU AND OZZY AT THE CLUB THAT NIGHT!**

Then a second text right after that.

**HAVE YOU BEEN BANGING HIM THIS WHOLE TIME? OH MY GOD YOU HAVE! I KNOW I'M RIGHT!**

"Well he _is_ right," Ozzy laughed "You have been banging me. Pretty good, might I add."

Finn smirked at Ozzy and took his phone back, flicking back to whatsapp "So far the responses have been good. Supportive."

"Did you expect they wouldn't be? I know there's still homophobia in the world, especially in sports, but thanks to some really brave athletes over the years who came out, it's not as bad as it used to be," Ozzy reminded Finn.

"You're right. I'm not really anticipating any issues with my teammates. I haven't become close friends with all of them but I'm friendly with all of them, we're a team and we all have each other's backs. None of them are homophobic that I know of and if some of them are, I don't think they'll cause any problems. They know I'm well liked and that my friends will have my back," Finn explained.

"Well just know that no matter what happens you have me, your friends and your family. There will be people saying nasty things in the media and in the crowd when you're out there on the pitch but they don't matter, okay? I won't lie and say it doesn't hurt sometimes but you just have to remember that the people saying these things will be strangers who don't know you. They don't matter," Ozzy emphasized.

"I know," Finn smiled at him and held his hand in his "You forget I have Gay parents. Everything you just said as been told to me by them my whole life. I'm honestly not worried. Anyone who has something to say to me, they can bring it on. I'll just smile in their faces."

"Good! You ready to get some sleep now?" Ozzy leaned in and kissed his boyfriends shoulder tenderly.

"Yeah. Let's get some sleep," Finn said, then Ozzy helped him walk up the stairs so he didn't put any strain on his knee and they fell asleep in each other's arms until late morning.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this next chapter. As always, thank you for reading and please let me know what you think :)

 

 

When Finn and Ozzy went over to Finn's house the next afternoon to pick up Jacob, Finn decided to talk to his parents about how to handle his relationship with Ozzy in the public eye.

"Like, it feels stupid to announce it formally. Like I'm some big important person that the world wants to know personal details about," Finn said to his parents as the four of them sat around the kitchen table watching all the kids playing outside.

Kate walked into the room with her sunglasses on her head, snorting out a laugh and sounding exactly like their Dad. She was definitely the female version of Niall Horan "Newsflash big brother- you _are_ some big important person and everyone wants to know everything about you. Footie players haven't been _just_ footie players since David Beckham came along and hooked up with Posh herself. A lot of people became interested in their private life and footie almost faded into the background a bit. Like, you're already famous in the football world because you're a brilliant player. In the entertainment industry people know who you are because of Pop, and now you add Mr. Best New Artist of the year, or whatever the hell that Grammy award is called, and really there's nowhere for you to hide. Women and men all over the world are going to want a piece of you. Just do me a favour- if anybody wants you to model underwear please warn me. I don't need to see that."

"She's your child, Niall," His Pop says over his Dad's laughter "There's no filter. None of the Horan's have a filter, I swear to God."

Finn laughed and wrapped an arm around his sisters waist, pulling her into him even though he was sitting and giving her a squeeze "Don't worry, Katie, I have no desire to model underwear."

"That's a shame," Ozzy hummed, a sad look on his face "I for one would love to see that."

"You already get to see that!" Kate cackled with laughter "You both probably walk around naked when you're alone."

"Oh my God!" Their Pop shook his head while their Dad nearly choked on his water.

"Excuse me, little missy, but you're fourteen years old and what your brother and his boyfriend do is none of your concern," Their Dad said, pointing a finger at Kate "Also, if you see any man in his underwear it better be me, your Pop or one of your brothers because anyone else gets his willy chopped off by me."

"I love this family!" Ozzy cracked up laughing as he watched the back and forth "Seriously. Love it."

Everyone laughed then Kate went outside to play with the kids and Finn tried to get the conversation back on track.

"I know what you're talking about, Finn," His Dad said once they all turned serious again "It took a long time for me to wrap my head around the fact that people wrote about what I ate for lunch if I happened to leave work and eat lunch outside the office. Whenever your Pop's publicist put out statements about something having to do with us, it felt weird to me. I got used to it, though, and your Pop helped me adjust."

"I guess I should be used to it, growing up with famous parents and all. You guys always shielded us from that stuff, though, so I guess I'm just getting my first taste of it on my own, as an adult with a career and a relationship. I still don't think I like the idea of a formal statement. It seems silly. Our neighbours down the street, they don't have to put out a statement when they start dating someone, they just do it." Finn said.

"Did you two talk about this already? Do you have an idea of what you want to do?" His Pop asked them "Does your publicist have any thoughts on it, Ozzy?"

Ozzy sat back in his chair and shook his head "Jerri is great. She said she'd be happy to help if we want her to but if not, all she asks is to let her know what we're doing before we do it so she can handle the press and anything that comes up. I've always been out so that makes it much easier for me."

"Yeah and I don't have a publicist yet. All publicity regarding me goes through the team. I've never needed one for anything but football," Finn said.

"Don't worry about all that. Your agent can take care of getting you a publicist. They probably have a firm they use. You can set up a meeting with him and go over everything. Your Pop and I can be there with you if you want," His Dad said.

Finn agreed then put it out of his mind for the time being. He'd let people handle that stuff for him. All he needed to focus on was his recovery and living his life "I was thinking me and Ozzy could just start going out in public together and let people think whatever they want. I know we've been seen together before but we only acted as friends. Now that we're not hiding we can act like a couple and people can assume what they want."

"That might backfire on you," His Pop said uncertainly "I mean, you can do that, sure, but when the press goes crazy and you get bombarded with questions, if you don't answer them they're just going to keep hounding you. Next thing you know you'll come out of a restaurant or the airport or wherever and there'll be fifty paps waiting for you."

"I think we should just post a pic of us on Twitter," Ozzy said, shrugging "I actually like Twitter. My fans are awesome and I like sharing stuff with them. It would be easy to post a picture of us and just call you my boyfriend."

"Ohhhh and I have the perfect picture!" His Pop said excitedly, jumping up to get his phone from the counter and coming back to sit down while scrolling through his photos "I took it the day you got out of the hospital. You and Ozzy were laughing at something Charlie did and you were all cozy and cute sitting together on the lounge chair. You didn't even know I was taking your picture."

Finn took the phone from his Pop and looked at the picture. He immediately smiled and leaned closer to Ozzy so he could see it too. It was a great picture. He had his arm around Ozzy's shoulders and Ozzy was curled into him, the both of them laughing at whatever they were looking at off in the distance "What do you think?" He asked his boyfriend with a smile.

"I think Harry apparently hoards pictures of us," Ozzy joked "How many more do you have in there?"

"That's a dangerous question, Ozzy. Harry loves pictures. There's probably a room the size of Buckingham Palace somewhere, filled with servers just to hold the photos he's taken over the past twenty-five years," Finn's Dad teased his Pop.

"Excuse me," His Pop stuck his nose up in the air "It's at least as big as Windsor Castle. Get it right, Niall."

Finn rolled his eyes at his parents and texted the photo to himself and Ozzy then slid the phone across the table to his Pop "I really like that one."

"Me too," Ozzy nodded, resting his hand on top of Finn's on the table "We'll use that one then. It'll be the first of many, by the way. My Twitter and Instagram will be full of pictures of us and you. Now that I finally get to brag about you I'm never going to stop."

"Oh God," Finn pretended to look scared "You're going to be like Pop. He used to post pictures of Dad while he was sleeping."

"Used too?" His Dad snorted "He posted one two days ago of me asleep on the couch with Ryanne."

"Yes I did. It was adorable. Also it's kind of a tradition that started with the very first picture I posted of you fast asleep on our bed with our beautiful two month old Finnegan. It feels like it just happened yesterday but now here he is, nineteen years old. God!" His Pop got choked up and Finn watched as his Dad pulled him close and whispered something in his ear to make him laugh.

"This is so going to happen to me when Jacob gets older," Ozzy leaned in and whispered to him "Promise you'll get me through it?"

Finn chuckled and kissed his boyfriends cheek while on the inside he was freaking out- in a good way! He doesn't know if Ozzy even realizes it or not but he basically just said he expects Finn to be in his life in fifteen years since Jacob wouldn't be nineteen until then. Too soon or not- he loves the idea that they'll still be together in fifteen years. If he lets himself, he can picture what their life could be like. A happy marriage like his parents have, a big house, lots of kids, him still playing footie while Ozzy still makes music, maybe a dog or two...or three.

"Pop," Finn snapped himself out of it and carefully stood up so as not to put too much weight on his knee. He walked around the table and wrapped his arms around his Pop from behind, resting his chin on his Pop's shoulder "I told you before that I'll always be your baby. You'll never be rid of me no matter how old I get."

"I'll remind you of this when you're married with kids and I'm constantly at your house bugging you," His Pop laughed through his tears.

"You could never bug me," Finn assured his Pop, then he went back to his seat next to Ozzy and they all talked for a few more minutes before Ozzy went to get Jacob and they headed back to Ozzy's place.

"I assume you're staying at Ozzy's again tonight?" His Dad asked him as they all made their way to the door. Finn nodded and his Dad continued "Okay. Don't forget we're having a family dinner on the weekend for Nori's seventeenth birthday. She's going out with her friends on Saturday so we're doing it Sunday. Ozzy, you and Jacob are more than welcome to come."

"Oh!" Ozzy looked surprised "It's for family though. I don't want to intrude."

"It's my birthday and I want you to come!" Nori appeared out of nowhere, a big smile on her face.

"Okay then," Ozzy laughed "I'll be there then."

"Alright we'll let you get going, Bub. Let us know how your first physical therapy session goes, okay?" His Dad asked.

"Actually...I'll probably sleep at home tomorrow night. I have to get up really early. I was hoping you'd drive me? Ozzy offered but he'd have to wake Jacob up and bring him along so I decided to just stay here tomorrow night." Finn told his Dad.

"Okay Bub. We can talk about it tomorrow when you get home," His Dad smiled at him "Have a good rest of the day. I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad." Finn said, then said the same to his Pop. They both said goodbye to Ozzy, then he, Ozzy and Jacob made their way to Finn's car to head to Ozzy's place.

 

~~~

  
Harry was exhausted after the sleepover with all the kids. After Finn and Ozzy picked up Jacob and Rory and Anna picked up their kids, he kind of felt like laying down on the couch and taking a nap. Of course he didn't do that, though. He and Niall weren't just going to leave the twins and Ryanne unsupervised to go take a nap. He also didn't dare tell Niall he was tired because he'd never hear the end of it. There would be so many old man jokes and Harry couldn't let that happen since he always teased Niall about being an old man. He couldn't look like a hypocrite.

Still, once Ryanne was asleep and the twins went to bed for the night, Harry was never so glad to see his bed. He fell back on it, spread eagle, and closed his eyes, smiling at how good it felt. He was just going to stay that way for a minute, until he heard the shower turn off in the en suite and Niall came out, but the next thing he knew, he was being woken up by cold water hitting his face and sat up, startled, to find Niall cackling and shaking his wet hair out over him.

"Jesus Christ, Niall! You frightened the shit out of me!" Harry said, putting a hand over his chest where his heart was beating rapidly "What are you doing?"

"Waking you up...old man!" Niall said, cackling loudly again.

"Nooooooo," Harry fell back on the bed again, groaning "I am not! I'm not even fifty yet. Shut up."

"Oh but you'll be fifty next year!" Niall sang the words "It'll be all down hill from there."

"I hate you," Harry tried his best to glare at his husband but he knew there was a small smile on his face no matter how hard he tried to fight it. He wasn't surprised Niall was on to him and taking the opportunity to tease him like Harry did to him. Niall knew him better than anyone. There was no way Harry was going to hide his exhaustion from him.

"Awwww," Niall climbed on top of him and kissed him softly "Just paying you back for all your jokes about me being old since I turned fifty."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry rolled his eyes playfully and reached his arms up around Niall's neck "I'm a bit tired. I'd do it all again, though. I love having all the kids here."

Niall hummed and kissed Harry again quickly before climbing off of him and picking up his towel from the floor. He brought it into the bathroom and tossed it into the clothes hamper, then came back out raking his fingers through his drying hair "We never stopped most of the night last night then all day today until the kids were picked up. We're both exhausted. It's a good exhausted though. As long as I'm able I will spend as much time as I can with our kids and grandkids and probably some day great grandkids. God. What a thought, huh?"

"Yeah," Harry shook his head in awe,"Penny is seven, though, so when you think about it, we could be in our sixties when she has kids, if she chooses to. If we live to be a hundred, we could have great great grandkids!"

"Oh God," Niall collapsed down on the bed beside Harry "Let's not think about that right now."

Harry laughs tiredly and rolls onto his side to cuddle into Niall. He smelled so good, like his body wash and shampoo, both scents so familiar to Harry he'd know them anywhere. He inched his nose along Niall's neck, taking in the smell and making Niall giggle. He smiled against Niall's neck and reached out to thread their fingers together, resting both their hands on Niall's stomach.

They lay there quietly like that for ten minutes, neither one of them moving to get under the covers or turn off the lights. Harry started to doze off again when there was a knock on the door. Niall called out for whoever it was to come in and Harry opened his eyes just in time to see Nori walking in.

"Hi, Little Lovey. You okay?" Niall smiled at their daughter and beckoned her over with his free arm. She walked over and sat down on the bed next to Niall and smiled down at them.

"You two look cozy. This a bad time? Were you asleep?" She asked.

"It's never a bad time for our children," Harry reached out and ran a hand down over her long, brown hair, smoothing it out over her back "I think you get prettier every day, sweet girl."

"Pop," Nori whined, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink "Stop."

"He's right, Little Lovey. You're stunning, just like your Pop. I adore the both of you," Niall said, making her blush even more.

Harry couldn't help but smile fondly. He was so proud of Nori. She was smart, funny, and beautiful, yet she didn't let it go to her head. She was a good girl who was kind and generous, who didn't take anything for granted. She was their sweet girl and Harry couldn't love her anymore if he tried.

"If you're done embarrassing me, I want to talk to you about something," Nori spoke up, rolling her eyes at her parents.

"Is this about sex?" Niall immediately asked, making Nori nearly choke on her own spit "Because you're only just turning seventeen. Do I have to kill somebody?"

"Daddy please!" Nori looked horrified "It's not about that. Oh my God!"

"Nori," Harry chuckled and reached out to pat Niall's arm "Don't mind your Dad. Whenever any of our teenage kids say they want to talk, he always goes into overprotective mode and assumes it's sex related."

"I do not!" Niall sat up and pushed himself up so he could rest his back against the headboard of their bed. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Harry, looking cute and grumpy. Harry just wanted to eat him up sometimes.

"Yes you do, darling but never mind that now," Harry joined him at the head of the bed "Our daughter needs our attention. Go ahead, sweetie."

"Okay so, remember back in April when we went to Buckingham Palace for the get together the King and Queen had for Princess Charlotte's twenty-eighth birthday?"

"Baby, you can call them William and Catherine around your Dad and I. It's only in public you need to respect their titles. Anywhere else they prefer to just use their names," Harry said gently, smiling at his little girl. He knows how hard it is to call them by their names. Harry felt uncomfortable for years after Niall and Catherine became friends after meeting at a charity event. Eventually he got used to it with Catherine's help. Whenever she and Niall got together they were like children giggling and messing around. It helped Harry to see her as just a normal person, a parent just like he was.

"I can't, Pop! They're King and Queen! It seems so wrong for a seventeen year old to just call them by their names," Nori protested.

"I know, love. It took me awhile too. If you want to do it just in front of your Dad and I you can, okay?" Harry smiled and reached up to gently thumb over one of her dimples. He adored those dimples. He finally understands why his Mum always loved his when he was growing up.

"Okay," Nori nodded "Anyway, Princess Charlotte came to chat with me and we got to talking about school and what I might like to do when I finish High School. I told her a few things I was interested in and one of them was working with kids and that caught her attention. When we left she gave me her number and we've been texting off and on since then."

"Really?" Niall looked surprised. Harry couldn't blame him, he was shocked too. He saw them chatting at the party but he had no idea they were talking regularly. "Why didn't you tell us, Lovey?"

"I don't know. It was just weird at first. I mean, she's a _Princess_ and she talked to me just like we had been friends for years. It was a bit surreal," Nori said, a look of awe on her face.

"Charlotte is a sweet one," Niall laughed fondly "She formed a bond with your Pop when she was a little girl. He let her play with his long hair for hours. He won her heart after that."

"She told me that," Nori smiled "She has pictures of the two of you, Pop. You with ribbons and bows in your hair playing tea party. It's so cute!"

Harry chuckled and reached out to pull Nori into his chest for a hug "Do you remember I did the same thing with you? I didn't have long hair anymore but I still let you put buckles and bows in it."

"Yeah," Nori lifted her head from his chest to look up at him. Her face was full of love and adoration and it made Harry's heart swell. He must be doing something right as a parent if his daughter is looking at him that way "You and Daddy always played with us no matter what was going on. You're the best parents in the world. I'm sorry if I don't say it enough."

Harry hears Niall cooing and looks over to see him taking pictures of him and Nori with his phone "What a great picture," He sighed when he put his phone down "You look so much like your Pop, Little Lovey. You're both gorgeous."

Harry smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss while Nori sat back up and blushed again. "So, anyway, you know Charlotte is heavily involved with children's charities. She never got to meet her Grandmother Diana but she's following in her footsteps with that. This Summer she's going to be touring around Africa, helping in relief efforts, bringing food and clean water, medical supplies and other things to children who have nothing. I told her how much I'd love to be able to do something like that and she said if I'm serious then I could come along. She-she wants to come talk to you about it, give you all the information and everything and then if it's okay with you she said I could go."

"Wow," Niall manages to say, which is more than Harry. All he can seem to do is stare at his daughter with his mouth open.

"I know. It's a lot," Nori admitted "But please don't say no yet. Please talk to Charlotte and get all the details first! I really want to do this. I feel so strongly about it. It would be so important to me. All I ask is that you listen and consider it."

"Of course we'll listen, baby. I think we're just shocked right now. We weren't expecting this. We know you love kids but we weren't expecting something like this," Harry managed to snap out of his shock to respond.

"Neither was I. I didn't know something like that could be possible for me. It only is thanks to you and Dad being friends with the royals. Before I started talking to Charlotte I was going to find out if I could volunteer at a children's hospital over the summer. I could probably still do that, when school starts again. Half a day on Saturday or a couple of days after school. I don't know. I just really want to do this for the Summer. Those kids in Africa have _nothing_ and I'm so fortunate to have everything thanks to you both having such good jobs. It's not fair that everyone isn't so lucky. I want to help." Nori said, the passion in her voice and on her face really shining through. She was clearly very serious about this. Harry couldn't be more proud of her.

"I can see how much you want to go, Lovey," Niall says to their daughter "We'll definitely consider it and talk to Charlotte. There's no doubt you're mature enough to handle this. You care enough, you're hard working, and it'll also look great on your applications for Uni. I think, and correct me if I'm wrong here, Harry, but I think safety would be our main concern. Africa is extremely dangerous in some areas and full of disease. We'd need to find out from Charlotte how protected you'd be."

"Your Dad is right. I think that's our main concern. Also your emotional well being. You would see some horrific things. We need to decide if you're ready for that. We don't want you to come back scarred for life and traumatized. It's late right now but we'll have a long talk with you once we talk to Charlotte, to make sure you're ready for this sort of thing. Okay, love?"

"Yes!" Nori beamed at both of them "Yes that's definitely okay! That's all I can ask. That you consider it. You're the best!"

Nori threw her arms around the both of them and Harry found himself with a face full of thick, brown hair. He didn't mind though, he simply laughed and buried his face in her hair, taking in the familiar smell of her fruity shampoo. She was growing up so fast. All he could do is make sure to savour every single moment like this and never take them for granted because soon enough she'll be off on her own with a family of her own, not downstairs just one floor away where he can hug her whenever he wants too.

"I love you, Pop, I love you, Dad," Nori kissed both their cheeks before pulling away. "I'm going back downstairs to my room. See you in the morning!"

Harry and Niall both said goodnight then when the door closed behind her, Harry turned to look at his husband, shaking his head in awe "She's brilliant, Niall. Did we do that? How did we do that?"

Niall cackled and pulled Harry into him, kissing his temple a few times "We're not perfect. We make our mistakes. We're really good parents though. We're really good and I'm not ashamed to say I'm proud of us. We've done the best we can with our kids. We love them, nurture them, provide for them, make sure they're good, honest people. Other than that we're also pretty blessed because we got some help from them. They're amazing kids."

"We did something right, that's for sure. She's so kind and generous. It's amazing she wants to spend her Summer in Africa. Most kids her age would stay in bed until noon then be lazy all day and hang out with their friends. She wants to _work_. In a war torn country no less. I guess we provided a good example with all the charity work we do. Charlotte also seems to be a good influence. Like a big sister. I like that. I like that they talk," Harry said happily.

"Me too, actually," Niall agreed "She has a lot of female role models but they're a lot older. My Mum, your Mum, Gemma. Charlotte is closer to her age. I think she'll be good for Nori."

"Me too," Harry sat up and stretched "I'm going to brush my teeth then I'm ready for bed."

"I'm right there with you. Already brushed my teeth. I'll keep the bed warm for ya!" Niall winked at him then got up to start pulling the covers back.

Harry went into the bathroom to strip his clothes off and brush his teeth. When he was done, he joined Niall in the bed, turning onto his side so Niall could spoon him. They were both asleep in minutes.

 

~~~

  
"Check your Twitter," Ozzy could barely contain his excitement as he walked into the living room to tell Finn to look at his Twitter. His boyfriend had been busy playing with Jacob while Ozzy was in the kitchen making dinner so while he was waiting for the food to cook he posted a picture of him and Finn on his Twitter. The picture Harry took.

"Why? What's up?" Finn picked his phone up off the table and went into Twitter. Ozzy saw the grin slowly come across his face and knew he saw it "You posted it? We're officially out?"

"Yep!" Ozzy was practically jumping up and down he was so excited. He walked/half ran over to Finn and grabbed him in his arms, hugging him fiercely while being careful not to jostle his knee "It looks good right? Do you like what I wrote?"

Under the picture of them cuddling on the lounge chair, Ozzy had simply written "Handsome couple, right? What do you guys think?" and boy did his fans have a lot to say. They were freaking out and #Fizzy had started trending. He couldn't wait to post tons more pictures. He wanted to share his love with the world because he was a fucking sap!

"I love it, Oz," Finn squeezed him tight before stepping back and looking at his phone again "Oh my God! Fizzy? That's awesome!"

"Isn't it?" Ozzy laughed excitedly "We've got a cool ship name. I'm glad they didn't pick Fozzy."

"Jesus. Look at my Twitter," Finn turned the phone around to show him "I think some of your twenty-five million followers have started following me."

"Oh for sure. A lot of my fans here probably know you because they may be Soccer fans but in America where Soccer isn't as huge, they probably don't know you. It'll be their mission now to learn everything they can about you. That means looking at your Twitter and Instagram, googling you, googling Chelsea, then they'll google anyone you've followed on Twitter like Rory and your Dad, anyone else famous you know, they'll probably look at every picture your Pop has ever posted of you on his Instagram. You'll be down right stalked," Ozzy told his boyfriend.

"Lucky for you that doesn't scare me. I'm used to that kind of stuff because of how famous my Pop and Rory are. It kind of makes sense now what my Dad and Anna have said about it being overwhelming at first. Anna still has paps following her when she goes shopping or is out with the kids doing something. Even when Rory isn't with her," Finn said.

"It can definitely be hard on relationships. I know we'll be okay, though. You're pretty famous yourself even though you hate to admit it," Ozzy teased his boyfriend.

"Hey! Why you so excited?" Jacob's voice filled the room and Ozzy looked down to see his son looking up at them, clearly confused about what the fuss was all about.

Ozzy reached down and picked him up, securing him on his hip so he could be at eye level with himself and Finn "We're excited because Papa put a picture on the internet of me and Finny together so that the whole world will know we love each other very much"

"Oh," Jacob looked thoughtful "Like sometimes you put pictures of me and you?"

"Exactly!" Ozzy said, bopping Jacob on the nose and making him giggle. When he put him down again, he ran back over to his toys and was happily playing again as of their conversation never happened. Oh the attention span of a kid!

"Why is he so cute?" Finn looked after Jacob as he went back to his toys, a pout on his face "Seriously? I just want to pick him up and never let him go."

Ozzy grinned and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend again, swaying them gently from side to side "I've felt the same way since the day he was born. Sometimes I do pick him up and never let him go. If he falls asleep on the couch I'll pick him up to bring him to bed and then I just end up getting in my bed with him and holding him while I watch tv."

Finn hummed near his ear and Ozzy immediately felt a shiver throughout his whole body. His boyfriend was even sexy when he _hummed_. How fucking crazy is that? Or maybe _he's_ just crazy? Maybe he's just so in love, everything Finn does is sexy?

"I hope you don't mind if I pick him up sometimes and don't let him go. He's a good little cuddle monkey I bet," Finn said, interrupting his thoughts.

Ozzy pulled back from their hug and looked into Finn's eyes "I would never mind. I might want to cuddle with you guys, though."

"Sounds perfect to me," Finn smiled at him. The same soft smile that always made Ozzy's heart flip, made his knees feel weak, and every other cliche that was out there.

Ozzy's phone dinged in his pocket and he took it out, smiling when he saw the text "It's my sister. Freaking out about how the internet is talking about Fizzy. She loves it."

Finn laughed and looked at his own phone, scrolling through all the messages that were coming in. Ozzy didn't hear any beeps so he must have the phone on silent "I have texts from Alexa, who is freaking out like your sister, Asa and Kellan just saying they're happy for us, my sisters who are teasing me, Rory, who is also teasing me because he's a child sometimes instead of a man nearing forty, my Uncle Louis and Aunt Jenn saying they're very proud of me and Aunt Jenn adds that we definitely are a handsome couple, and a few more texts from cousins and such. Jesus."

"Um," Ozzy is looking at his Twitter, a bit in shock when he sees a tweet from Jennifer Lawrence mentioning her nephew Finn "Baby? Did you- did you say Aunt Jenn?"

"Yeah," Finn looked up at him, brow furrowed "Why?"

Ozzy stares at him, wide eyed and with his mouth hanging open "Aunt Jenn? Is Aunt Jenn, Jennifer Lawrence?"

"Yes? Well it's Tomlinson because she's married to my Uncle Louis but I think she still uses her maiden name for her work," Finn explained.

"Finn!!" Ozzy smacked Finn's arm and looked at him incredulously "How could you neglect to tell me your Aunt is J-Law? From Hunger Games? The movies I love!!!"

"Oh," Finn screwed his face up a bit, clearing trying to think why he didn't mention it. He looked adorable of course, but Ozzy was in too much shock to do anything about it right now "I guess I just assumed you already knew she was my Aunt. When you said those are some of your favourite films it never really occurred to me to bring it up. I've known her since I was born. Most of the time I forget she's so famous."

"What am I going to do with you?" Ozzy asked, his hands on his hips.

Finn smirked at him "Many, many things that can't be said with a child in the room I hope."

Ozzy stared at his boyfriend, biting his lip to keep from laughing, but it was no use- not with Finn standing there looking like he wanted Ozzy to eat him "Oh my God," Ozzy finally broke down laughing and reached out to pull Finn into a kiss then he whispered "Later. When said child is gone to bed for the night."

"Oh yes please!" Finn said in a low voice, then he grabbed Ozzy and attacked his neck with kisses making him yell out and start giggling. Soon enough, Jacob was running over and they ended up having a tickle fight before dinner.

  
~~~

  
When Finn got to Stamford Bridge two days later, where he'd be doing his physical therapy with Chelsea's trainers, he was secretly glad his Dad brought Ryanne with them so he could show her off to his co-workers while they chatted and caught up while Finn was doing his therapy. He was scared and nervous and quite grateful not to be going in alone. He knew his very outgoing Dad would easily walk in there and break the ice for Finn without even realizing he's doing it. Finn tended to be a bit shy and quiet when he was nervous and it didn't matter that he knew all the trainers and other Chelsea staff. They were practically a second family to him since they spent so much time together but it didn't matter when Finn was so nervous his stomach was tied up in knots.

"You okay?" His Dad brought him out of his thoughts as they made their way down the hallway toward the training rooms.

"Um...do you want the truth or...?"

His Dad chuckled and switched Ryanne's car seat to his other hand so he could wrap his arm around Finn's shoulders "Don't worry. It was a bit of a stupid question on my part. You're my son, Finnegan. I know you better than you know yourself. I know you're scared and a bit apprehensive because you don't know what's to come. Why do you think I came in?"

Finn turned his head and gave his Dad a confused look "To show Ryanne off to the people you work with."

"I am absolutely going to do that because your sister is so fucking adorable but no, that was just what I told you so you wouldn't try to be tough and get me to go wait for you at home. I knew you'd be nervous. I'm here to support you, okay? I thought it might help a bit knowing I was somewhere in the building and you weren't doing this alone," His Dad explained.

Finn looked down at his feet as they reached the door to the training rooms. He was a bit choked up and had to swallow a few times so he could compose himself. It meant a lot to him what his Dad was doing and it never ceased to amaze him how well his parents knew him and understood him, even when he kept to himself a lot and didn't give them much to go on. "Thank you, Dad. I-I'm really relieved that you're here to be honest."

"It's going to be okay, Bub. No matter how this all turns out. You're going to be fine. At the end of the day, everyone who loves you will be there for you. No matter what. Okay?" His Dad said in a gentle voice, tipping Finn's chin up with his finger so he could look him in the eye.

Finn nodded and fought back his tears again. He wrapped his arms around his Dad's neck and hugged him tight, smiling slightly at him when he pulled away "I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Bub," His Dad smiled reassuringly at him "Come on. Let's go in and see who's inside."

His Dad opened up the door and they walked into the huge open space that was filled with exercise equipment. It was quiet this early in the morning but Finn knew some of his teammates often used the gym to keep in shape when they weren't playing. He wouldn't be surprised if he ran into a couple of them when he was finished here.

Turning to the left, they made their way down a series of corridors until they reached the rooms where the team Doctor and his assistants and trainers all had their offices. A door opened and Frank, the Doctor, walked out, a smile coming across his face when he saw Finn and his Dad "Good Morning! How are you Niall? Finn?" Frank asked as he shook both of their hands.

"I'm great, Frank. Just dropping Finn off for his PT," His Dad answered.

"Ah yes. How's that knee, Finn?" Frank asked him "Any problems I need to know about? I'm going to examine you and take some x-rays before you get started on your therapy."

"No problems," Finn told him "I've been taking it pretty easy. I've made sure to follow all your instructions. I'm not taking any chances."

"That's what I like to hear. I've dealt with far too many stubborn footie players in my career. It'll be nice to have one go easy on me for a change," Frank said while laughing. "I see you've brought the little one with you, Niall."

"This is Ryanne," His Dad smiled proudly as he turned the car seat so Frank could see the sleeping baby "My assistant has been after me to bring her in so all the office staff can meet her in person so I figured I'd come in today while Finn is doing his PT."

"Well," Frank smiled down at Ryanne "She's just beautiful, Niall. I expect you'll have to fight to get her back from the people upstairs. You know, it feels like just yesterday you were bringing this one in in a car seat and showing him off." Frank nodded his head toward Finn. "Now he's our top player. Amazing isn't it?"

"I can't believe there are people here who saw me as an infant," Finn grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh Finn," His Dad cackled "Not only did they see you as an infant, they saw you in the outfits your Pop dressed you in. You never went out without being decked out in the latest baby fashions."

"Well did Harry ever go out without being decked out in the latest fashions?" Frank joked "That man could put on a pair of ripped jeans and a dirty t-shirt and he manages to look good. He makes all us men look like slobs."

"That's a crazily accurate statement, Frank," Finn's Dad said, then he and Frank started laughing again and making Finn want to disappear into the floor.

After another minute, Frank led Finn into his office and his Dad left to go to his office upstairs. Finn spent half an hour with the Doctor then made his way down the hall to find Mark, the head trainer. When he walked into the large room used for PT, he was surprised to see Ricky, one of their veteran players, already there with another trainer getting treatment on his back.

"Hey. You put your back out again?" Finn asked him when he walked over to the table Ricky was laying on.

"Nah," Ricky shook his head the best he could while laying down "Just maintenance. Making sure I keep strong before training starts up in July. I'm telling you, Horan, the minute you hit thirty it all goes down hill. You have to work ten times harder to keep yourself healthy. It's a pain in the fucking arse."

Finn snorted and took a seat next to the table where he wasn't in the way of the trainer who was working on Ricky's back "Believe me, I've heard it all from my brother."

"Good lad, your brother. I only played one season with Arsenal but I remember his work ethic. All that hard work is probably why he never lost much time to injuries. Once you're back on your feet, do whatever he did and you'll keep yourself healthy the rest of your career. What happened to you was a freak thing. You'll come back stronger though. You in for PT?"

"Yeah. First session today. I see Mark coming in now. Let the fun begin I guess," Finn smiled wryly at his teammate and after they fist bumped he went across the room to get this show on the road with Mark.

"Horan! It's good to see you," Mark smiled at him and held out his hand for Finn to shake. Finn shook his hand and said hello then put his crutches against the wall so he good sit up on the table like Mark asked him to do.

"So," Mark took a seat on a stool that moved with wheels, like you would see in a Doctor's office, and moved closer to the table Finn was sitting on, a file in his hand "I just spoke with Frank. He told me you're progressing nicely, showed me the new x-rays he took this morning. He also told me he fitted you for a knee brace so you can say arrivederci to those crutches behind me there."

"Thank fuck for that," Finn muttered, smiling slightly when Mark snorted.

"Yes indeed, young lad. Thank fuck for that," Mark laughed "You sound just like my fifteen year old son who keeps cursing no matter how much his mother wants him not to. Anyway, when you leave here today you can wear the brace and start walking without the crutches. You'll have to be careful. You won't be walking as fast as you normally would but you will be able to walk and the brace will keep your knee stable and prevent re-injury. Frank went over all that with you, right?"

"He did, yeah,"

"Okay good," Mark nodded his head then laid the file to the side and looked at Finn "Let me start by saying I know how badly you want to get back out there on the pitch to start playing again. It's my job to help you make that happen. However, I can't do that if you don't listen to me and let me tell you, there will be times you won't want to listen. Physical therapy is probably one of the most frustrating things you will go through in your life. We have to move slowly to prevent damaging the surgically repaired ligaments. There are days, even weeks, where you will feel like you haven't made any progress at all and you'll want to take matters into your own hands and work that knee extra and harder. DO NOT DO THAT. No matter how frustrated you get, remember what I've told you today. I know what I'm doing. If you trust me and do what I tell you to do, you have the best chance of getting out there on the pitch again. Do you understand?"

"I do. Absolutely. This is too important to me. I won't do anything to jeopardize my chances of playing football again," Finn promised.

"Good. I'll remind you you said that when you're bitching about how we're not moving fast enough and you can definitely do more, blah blah blah," Mark said with a friendly smile on his face.

"Please do remind me," Finn smiled back. He liked Mark, always has. He's head trainer for a reason. He knows what he's doing and he gets right to it. He tells it like it is and is a no nonsense kind of guy. That's what Finn needed to get him on the right track. For the next six to nine months, if he did what Mark told him to, worked hard, and had patience, he'd reach his goal- playing professional football again.

"Okay. Now, we won't be doing a lot today. For the first few weeks we'll be working on range of motion, slowing bending the knee back and forth. You should be able to bend your knee at a ninety degree angle by four weeks. We'll also be working on strengthening your quadriceps muscles. They would have become weak after the surgery and are important for walking. Those will be our goals for the next couple of weeks. Get that knee bending and strengthening it up. Any questions?"

"None that I can think of right now. I'll let you know if I think of something," Finn said.

"Alright then. Lay back on the table with your good leg bent and your foot flat on the table and keep your bad leg straight." Mark said as he stood up and pushed the stool away. Finn did as he asked then Mark came up beside him "Let's get started."

  
~~~

  
After having Finn to himself for two days, it was strange to wake up in the morning without him by his side. He didn't like it much. He liked sharing a bed with the person he loved. He loved those intimate moments when they both woke up and smiled at each other with sleepy eyes then said good morning with a soft kiss. He loved how they cuddled before they had to get up, how their legs always tangled together and their hands were always linked somehow. Sometimes they would lay there silently and Ozzy would pick up one of Finn's hands, playing with his fingers and getting way ahead of himself by picturing a ring on his ring finger. Sometimes they would lay there and talk quietly, about random things or about what they'd do that day. He loved every bit of it and his bedroom felt a bit empty and lonely without Finn in it.

It was still early and Jacob obviously wasn't awake yet or he would have come to get Ozzy, so Ozzy grabbed his phone and decided to look at his Twitter and check his messages. He smiled when he saw a good morning text from Finn. It was just past eight o'clock right now and he would be on his way to his first PT session. He might not be able to answer right away but Ozzy sent him a text back saying good luck and that he loved him.

After that he went on his Twitter to see a bit of what people were saying. This is something he did a lot, actually. Not seeing what people are saying about him, he could care less about that, but just going on Twitter and following people or answering fans tweets to him. They get so excited by it and if something like that can make someone's day, especially someone who is so supportive of his music, then he's going to do it.

As he scrolled through Twitter, he couldn't help the huge grin on his face. A lot of his fans were tweeting their congratulations to him on his relationship, saying they hope he's happy and wishing him the best, some were freaking out and saying he and Finn were so hot together, some were speculating about how they met and got together and whether or not Harry set them up. It went on and on and most of it was positive. Of course there were comments thrown in with people calling him and Finn fags or saying if they want to be a fag, fine, but don't flaunt it to the whole world with pictures everywhere. Ozzy simply rolled his eyes at those comments. They weren't even worth his time.

What really made him smile the most and really warmed his heart were the fans discussing Finn. Not all of his fans know who Finn is. They know Harry but they're too young to remember the height of Harry's career when he was putting albums out all the time. They don't know much about his life so they weren't aware of Finn. That's okay, though, because his fans who _do_ know who Finn is, are filling them in. Some seem to be from right here in London who are Chelsea fans and they're saying how great Finn is, how he's the best Striker in the league and how he's a nice guy who stopped to take his picture with them and sign autographs for him. There are a lot of links being posted and Ozzy follows them to find articles that sports websites or magazines wrote about Finn, or pictures of Finn out and about in London that paps took long before Ozzy even met him. There are links to Chelsea's official website and photos that were taken of Finn in action on the pitch. Ozzy really liked those. His boyfriend looked so hot in his uniform, those shorts showing off how muscular his thighs are and the shirt fit just right across his muscular chest and back. God! Ozzy was going to get worked up if he didn't stop looking at these.

Exiting out of those links, he went back to Twitter and decided to post something. Just a simple "Good Morning from London" with a smiley face, then he closed Twitter and got out of bed, walking down the hall to quickly check on Jacob. He was still fast asleep so Ozzy went back to his room to take a quick shower, leaving the bathroom door open a bit so Jacob would know where he is if he wakes up.

After his quick shower, he went back to Jacob's room and smiled as he saw his little boy just starting to stir. His little body was moving around under the blankets, his butt stuck up in the air as he rubbed his face in the pillow and stretched his arms out. "Well good morning my little bear."

Jacob rolled over onto his back and looked at Ozzy with his eyes squinted and his hair stuck up "Hi, Papa."

Ozzy walked over to the bed and lifted his son into his arms, kissing his cheek and hugging him close "How are you today?"

"I'm good, Papa," Jacob giggled when Ozzy rubbed his stubble against his neck "I'm hungry. Can we have pancakes?"

"Hmm, yeah I think your old Dad can manage some pancakes for his growing bear," Ozzy said, making his way out of the room while tickling his son's belly.

"You're not old, Papa!" Jacob said through his giggles.

"I'm not?" Ozzy faked being shocked "Who is then?"

"Grandma," Jacob said matter of factly.

Ozzy burst out laughing, a loud belly laugh that made Jacob giggle even more. Ozzy's mother was actually only fifty-two years old, the same age as Niall. "Don't let Grandma hear you say that, Jakey. We might end up in trouble."

"Okay Papa," Jacob giggled again. They had reached the living room by now so Ozzy put Jacob down on the couch, kissing his forehead before he reached for the television remote.

"Do you want to watch some cartoons while I make pancakes or would you rather help me?"

"I help you, Papa!" Jacob said excitedly. He pushed himself down off the couch and started running toward the kitchen ahead of Ozzy, only slowing down when Ozzy told him to.

Once in the kitchen, Ozzy turned on some music and the two of them got to work on the pancakes. Ozzy let Jacob help by pointing out the things he needed to him and letting the little boy get them and pass them to him when he needed them. Then, when he had the batter ready and stirred well enough, he let Jacob stir it a few times to make him feel like he helped. After that, Ozzy took over so Jacob wouldn't be around the hot frying pan on the stove and within a few minutes they both had a plate with fluffy pancakes on them.

"Papa? What we do today?" Jacob asked as he pushed a piece of pancake around in syrup.

"Well," Ozzy took a drink from his orange juice to help wash down his pancake "I was thinking you and I could head over to the aquarium to see all the fish? It's a nice day outside, too, so after we can walk around and get ice cream if you want."

"Yay!!!!" Jacob yelled and bounced around excitedly in his chair "That'll be so fun, Papa! Can Finny come too?"

"I wish he could, Jakey, but Finny is busy today. Remember how I told you the Doctor fixed Finny's knee? Well now that it's fixed he has to go see someone who helps him do exercises with his knee so that it can get good and strong again," Ozzy explained to his son.

"Oh, okay," Jacob nodded in understanding "What about Charlie and Matty?"

Ozzy thought about it for a second and it wasn't a bad idea. He knew Niall was taking Finn to his therapy and he didn't know how long they'd be. He could text Harry to see if he wants to take the twins to the aquarium with him and Jacob. "I'll text Harry and ask him. Okay? I don't know if they can go, they might be busy but I'll ask."

Jacob was happy with that so after they finished breakfast, Ozzy sent Harry a text then let Jacob watch cartoons while he cleaned up the kitchen. It only took Harry ten minutes to respond and he said he and the twins would love to go to the aquarium. Apparently Niall had Ryanne and Nori and Kate were going to hang out with their friends so it was perfect.

Ozzy texted Harry back and they decided Harry would drive over in his SUV to pick them up and he would be there in about forty-five minutes. That worked well for Ozzy because it gave him time to clean Jacob up and get him dressed and to also put some proper clothes on himself. He wasn't about to go out in an old, ratty t-shirt and some joggers.

"Alright, little bear, lets go get dressed!" Ozzy called out from the kitchen once he was done. Jacob wasn't long meeting Ozzy by the stairs and they headed up together to get ready.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!
> 
> Here's the next chapter! There won't be too many chapters left now. I'm not sure of the exact number yet. I'll let you know when I get closer. A bit of hard times for Finn in this one and some drama to come in the next one. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think. Your comments keep me going :) 
> 
> There is a bit of anxiety in this one. I don't think it's too too bad but use your own discretion while reading this if you have problems with anxiety. First and foremost always take care of yourself!
> 
> Enjoy!

 

 

Finn is really glad right now that his Dad knows him as well as he does because he is in no mood for conversation right now and his Dad is quietly driving them home instead of talking his ear off and asking him a million questions about the physical therapy.

It went well, according to Mark. They didn't do much, just moving his leg a bit, testing how much he can bend his knee after the surgery. It all went how it was supposed to, Mark said. At the moment, as Finn sits in the passenger seat of his Dad's car, staring out the window, he wonders if his knee feeling like it's on fire was how it's supposed be? He wonders if he's supposed to feel like ripping the knee brace off and banging his knee against concrete until it goes completely numb and he can't feel a damn thing? He wonders how the fuck he's supposed to endure this three times a week? Not to mention the fact that this is only the beginning! Eventually the training is supposed to get more rigorous!

"We're home, Bub," His Dad's soft voice broke through his thoughts and he took a good look outside, realizing that they were indeed home. He had been looking out the window the whole time without really seeing what he was looking at.

Finn opened up the passenger door and took his time standing up. That didn't stop his knee from protesting with pain that shot up and down his leg and he had to grip the door hard to keep his legs from buckling underneath him.

"Let me help you inside, Bub," His Dad appeared beside him, speaking softly.

Finn took a deep breath and stood up straighter, gritting his teeth from the pain. He didn't want help. He wanted to get inside on his own. He didn't have crutches anymore. He was a nineteen year old man and he wasn't going to be helped inside like a child "No," He told his Dad "I'm fine. You have to bring Ryanne inside. I can handle myself."

He could feel his Dad's eyes on him, probably searching his face to see how much pain he was in. He was trying to hide it but he probably wasn't doing a very good job. He was pissed off right now. He's a fully grown, capable man. There shouldn't be this big of a fuss just to get inside the house.

"Finn, I can get Ryanne-"

"I said I'm fine, Dad!" Finn said sharply, pushing away from the car to gingerly walk into the house. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his Dad raise his eyebrow at him but he didn't say anything and Finn wasn't sticking around to wait and see if he did. He just wanted to get inside, take two paracetamol, and lay down on his bed in the dark.

When he got inside, he managed to drag himself up the stairs by putting most of his weight on his good leg. He hastily grabbed the bottle of paracetamol from the bathroom he shared with his sister's and the twins, knocking some other things out of the cabinet while he was at it and not bothering to clean them up, then he got into his bedroom and closed the door, drawing the blinds to make the room as dark as possible. He swallowed the pills dry while he stepped out of his joggers, then he crawled into his unmade bed and buried his face in his pillow as he tried to breathe through the pain in his knee.

"Finnegan?" His Dad knocked on his door gently "Can you answer me please?"

Finn recognized the no nonsense tone to his Dad's voice and knew he wouldn't get away with ignoring him. "Yes?" He called out, trying to keep his voice steady.

The door opened and his Dad poked his head in, his eyes looking over Finn in the bed "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," He nodded his head "I'm just tired. It was a long morning. I'm going to rest for awhile."

"Alright," His Dad looked unsure but he didn't push "I just wanted to let you know your Pop took the twins out and your sister's are out as well so it should be quiet here. I'm downstairs if you need me."

"Okay. Thank you," Finn said, his voice a bit muffled by the pillow. His Dad smiled at him, then quietly shut the door, plunging the room back into darkness and silence.

"Fuck," Finn cursed as he carefully moved his leg under the blankets. His knee was throbbing and felt on fire. The only time he's ever felt physical pain this bad was when he injured his knee in the first place. He remembers the white hot pain he felt before he passed out on the pitch. This pain came in a close second. A very close second. Hopefully the pills will take the edge off enough for him to doze off and when he wakes up again, maybe the pain will have eased.

  
~~~

  
Going to the aquarium was a really good idea and Ozzy was happy with himself for thinking about it. Jacob was having a blast, he and the twins running just ahead of Ozzy and Harry at all times, excitedly talking amongst themselves and pointing things out to each other. Ozzy and Harry were having quite the time watching them, smiles on their faces as they watch their kids have fun.

Walking behind them is Dylan, a bodyguard that has worked with Harry for thirty-one years, Ozzy learned when he met the man. He started with Harry when Harry was just eighteen years old and started becoming well known. He was semi-retired now, only working when Harry needed him. Ozzy is glad Harry thought to ask Dylan to come. Both Ozzy and Harry are really well known and because of the picture Ozzy posted of himself and Finn a couple of days ago, he was front and centre in the media and people were bound to recognize him at some point. It was best to have Dylan with them just in case crowds developed. So far, that hadn't happened.

"Niall is going to love these videos I'm taking," Harry said as they walked through the aquarium "Just look at the smiles on our babies faces. Is there anything better? They're so adorable."

"They are," Ozzy agreed with a chuckle "They don't have a care in the world. I wish it could stay that way forever."

"I know," Harry put his phone away, giving it a rest for a minute "When I think about some of the things Rory has faced as an adult and now what Finn is dealing with...? It makes me wish they were little again so I could protect them."

"Hopefully I have a good few years before Jacob has to start facing the real world. I just want him to enjoy life and have fun for now," Ozzy said "Actually, speaking of living life- I might need yours and Niall's help with something."

"Alright. We'd be happy to help if we can," Harry said "What's up?"

"Well, Jacob starts school in September and since I'm not from here I don't know much about the school system. If you could help me navigate it a bit, until I get the hang of it, I'd really appreciate it. I know Jacob will go in and be friends with all his classmates by the end of the first day but I'd still like to get him in the same school as the twins. They're two years older than him so they won't be in the same class but I want him to have people he knows there. Now, it's already June and I don't know what the cut off is for enrolling kids in the school so..."

"Say no more!" Harry laughed and laid a hand on Ozzy's shoulder "I think it's probably past the date for enrolling but Niall and I have a great relationship with the school and since I've slowed down my career I'm there all the time helping out in class, doing field trips, helping with school plays and concerts. I'm sure the three of us can set up a meeting with the principal next week and explain you just moved here so you couldn't enroll Jacob in time. I'm pretty certain she'll have no problem adding Jacob to the school."

"Really?" Ozzy blew out a long breath when Harry nodded happily "Thank you! Really Harry. Thank you so much."

Harry smiled and wrapped an arm around Ozzy's shoulders in a brief hug "You're very welcome. I just can't believe Jacob will be five in two months. That he's starting school. He was just- well he wasn't even one yet when you auditioned and I first met him. I remember your sister came with you to look after him and after you auditioned I saw you over at the side of the stage take him from your sister and hug him. It was a heart warming moment that I'll never forget."

"I didn't know you saw that," Ozzy smiled and ducked his head a bit, remembering that moment himself.

"Of course I did. All four of us pressed our button for you and after the four of us fought with each other for you, you picked me to be your mentor. I was watching you walk off the whole time thinking you were going to go really far in the competition. I was so ecstatic that you picked me!" Harry gushed.

Ozzy looked up at Harry and struggled to control his emotions "I don't mean to get all serious here but...those few months in the competition, working with you, talking to you, they were some of the best months in my life. You helped me a lot. Sometimes I look back and I miss those times a lot. I'm so grateful we stayed in touch and involved in each other's lives."

"Ozzy!" Harry whisper yelled, looking around him to make sure nobody was listening "Are you trying to make me cry in the middle of the London Aquarium? Damn you!"

Ozzy threw his head back and laughed, not caring that people would hear him and probably take pictures or video. "I'm not sorry because every word I said was true."

"I know. I'm really glad I stayed in your life as well. It's true you're like a son to me and now that you're dating Finn you may as well be a part of the family. You really are perfect for him, Oz. Despite how I first reacted I really do believe that. I'm so happy he has you," Harry said, clearly he was trying to make Ozzy cry now. Payback's a bitch!

"Alright, alright," Ozzy elbowed Harry in the ribs playfully "Enough of the sappy talk now. Looks like we're about finished here anyway."

Once they left the aquarium, they decided to take a ride on The London Eye since it was right there by the aquarium. Obviously Harry has been on it many times, Ozzy went on it once on his very first trip to London, but the twins have actually never been on it and Jacob hasn't either so when all three kids asked to go, both Harry and Ozzy were more than happy to do it.

They were lucky when it was their turn to get on. There's only so many people allowed in one capsule and most of the people who got on with them were a part of a tour group of people in their sixties and seventies. None of them seemed to give Ozzy or Harry a second look. They all seemed too enchanted by Jacob and the twins so Harry and Niall were able to relax a bit and just enjoy the view without having to do too many selfies with fans.

"Wow! We up so high, Papa!"Jacob said in awe. He was standing at the railing on his tip toes, staring out over the Thames toward Big Ben.

Ozzy knelt down so he was the same height as Jacob, sliding an arm around his waist "Do you see that tall building right there?" Ozzy pointed at Big Ben "With the big clock?" When Jacob nodded, Ozzy continued on "Do you remember what Papa told you it was called when we walked past it the other day on our walk?"

"Yes!" Jacob said excitedly "Big Ben!"

"That's right, Jakey! Good job!" Ozzy picked his son up in his arms and kissed his cheek repeatedly until the little boy was giggling "You're my smart boy aren't you?"

"Yes, Papa, I am," Jacob grinned at him, making his heart just about melt. His son had the cutest, brightest smile. All felt right with the world when Ozzy could see that smile.

He held his son up so that he was sitting on the railing and better able to get a good view of everything around them. When he turned his head slightly, he noticed Harry had his phone pointed at him and couldn't help but laugh "Are you taking pictures again?"

"Nope," Harry said, popping the "p" "I was taking a video of that very cute moment with your son and now I've just sent it to Finn."

Finn. He hadn't really left Ozzy's mind all day. He should be done his PT session by now but Ozzy hasn't heard from him. He hated thinking of his boyfriend in a lot of pain. He knows pain is a part of PT but that doesn't really make it any easier for the person going through it to handle, or their loved ones.

"I know he's on your mind. He's on mine too," Harry said, stepping close to Ozzy so he could speak quietly. Nobody was paying attention but it's something you learn to do pretty quickly when you're in the public eye.

"Yeah," Ozzy said softly after he looked to make sure Jacob wasn't paying attention. He wasn't. He was too fascinated by everything he was seeing outside and by how high up they were, "I just wish there was something more I could do for him, ya know? I know he can handle physical pain. He's tough. It's the emotional part of it that worries me. The waiting to find out if the career you've always wanted, the career that has only just begun, is over or not. The longer he has to wait to find out, the harder it'll be for him. All that waiting. I can't even imagine."

They were almost to the bottom again now, so Harry didn't say anything, just squeezed Ozzy's arm and gave him a small smile. Ozzy got the message. They would talk more about it later, when there aren't so many people around. Ozzy was fine with that. It was just about time to gather the kids again and get out of the capsule anyway.

Once they were off the eye, they decided to leave the car parked where it was and walked a few blocks to an ice cream shop. It took a few minutes to get ice cream because the kids all wanted every flavour, they couldn't decide, but when they finally did, they all walked five minutes to St. James Park to enjoy the sunshine. At the park, Harry asked Dylan to walk ahead with the kids to make sure they didn't get in any trouble, then he asked Ozzy to stay back with him so they could talk.

  
"So, I don't know if you've heard from Finn," Harry said after he ate a spoonful of his ice cream "I'm going to guess you probably haven't."

"No," Ozzy twirled his spoon around in his ice cream "I haven't. Not yet."

Harry nodded and ate another spoonful of ice cream before continuing "I wanted to talk to you and tell you not to take it personally if you don't hear from him. Your relationship is still fairly new so you might not know Finn well enough yet to know how he deals with things that upset him or make him nervous. When he's unsure of something he tends to withdraw from everybody. He kind of folds in on himself and gets quiet. He needs time alone to think and process everything. He's always been that way, even when he was a boy. I just wanted you to know so you don't think you did something wrong."

Ozzy was quiet for a minute, his head down as they strolled along the path, the sound of the kids laughter up ahead drifting back toward him. He understood what Harry was saying and if he's honest, he can admit he did kind of notice that Finn can be a bit withdrawn sometimes. "Yeah. I have noticed that about him actually. When he gets quiet and I think something is bothering him, I usually ask him if he wants to talk. If he says no then I just go about doing something else and let him be. If he wants to talk then I listen."

"Oh!" Harry seemed so surprised he stopped walking and Ozzy had to stop for a second until Harry started moving again "Have there been times he's talked to you? I don't mean about trivial things either, I mean really serious matters."

"Yeah," Ozzy nodded his head slowly, remembering two days ago when he woke up in the middle of the night and found Finn downstairs on the couch "I'd say so."

"That's amazing!" Harry reached out and grabbed Ozzy's arm, a huge grin on his face "He usually doesn't open up to anyone except for Rory and sometimes me and Niall when something big is bothering him. He obviously trusts you a lot. Why wouldn't he? He loves you!"

Ozzy smiled slightly and ducked his head a bit "I love him, too, and I hope he does trust me. I hope he knows he can trust me with anything no matter what it is. I only ever want to help him and be there for him. I'd do anything for him."

"I know you would. I can see on your face how sincere you're being. My son is extremely lucky. I'm so, so, so, happy you two found each other," Harry gushed.

"You and me both!" Ozzy said, laughing at Harry's enthusiasm.

"I guess we should catch up to our kids now. I don't pay Dylan to babysit, although he doesn't mind it. He's only fifty-five but when I stopped needing security so much, he didn't find work elsewhere. He got married and had kids of his own. He didn't bother when he was working full-time because he was never home. He has little ones of his own now." Harry explained "Just remember what I said, yeah? If you don't hear from Finn tonight, don't worry. It has nothing to do with you."

"Okay," Ozzy nodded and stopped by a garbage bin to toss out his empty ice cream cup "Thank you for telling me. Just tell him I'm here if he needs me please."

"I will," Harry promised "Come on. Let's go have some fun with the kids."

  
~~~

 

It was just after three in the afternoon by the time Harry dropped Ozzy and Jacob off at home and made his way back to his own house. He and the twins hugged Dylan goodbye in the driveway and watched him drive away to his own house, then they went inside to find Niall and see who else was home.

"Niall? We're home!" Harry called out, having to raise his voice above the twins chatter.

"In here Darlin'!" Niall called back, his voice coming from the living room.

Harry started down the hallway toward the living room, the twins running ahead of him, and found Niall laying on the couch with their granddaughter Penny asleep on his chest like a koala. The twins had gone quiet just staring at their Dad and Penny, not quite knowing what to do. They adored Niall and normally would be bouncing on top of him right now, screaming and laughing as he tickled them. Obviously they couldn't do that with Penny on top of him.

"Hi, Daddy. What's Penny doing here?" Charlie finally asked.

"Hello, my little munchkins," Niall smiled at the twins and held out one arm to hug them with. They gladly moved forward and they cuddled into him, somehow not managing to wake up Penny "She wanted to come visit her Grampy so your brother brought her over. She's having a nap right now."

Harry made his way over toward the couch, stopping first at the bassinet to have a peek at Ryanne. She was apparently fast asleep as well. After kissing her forehead gently, he reached Niall and leaned down over the twins to kiss his husband on the lips then his granddaughter on the top of her head "Hi, baby. Good day?"

"Yeah it was okay. Quiet," Niall told him, his hand gently rubbing circles over the twins backs.

Harry simply nods but doesn't say anything else. He wants to talk about Finn but not while twin little ears are listening. He gives the twins a few more minutes, sitting in one of the armchairs and silently being proud of them for talking in their quiet voices so they don't wake Penny, then he reminds them what he said earlier about cleaning their room after they got home from the aquarium. They grumble a little bit but obediently head upstairs to get to work on their room that looks like a tornado hit it and Harry gets up so he can go kneel on the floor by the couch and link his fingers with Niall's while gently tucking a piece of hair behind Penny's ear.

"She okay?" He asks quietly, looking up at his husband.

"Yeah," Niall looks down at the sleeping seven year old on top of him and smiles fondly "Rory brought her over around lunch time. Apparently she had a dream last night that they moved to Australia and she never saw me ever again. Rory and Anna promised her they were never moving to Australia but she was upset and wanted to see me for herself. I was quite happy to take her. She's my gorgeous baby girl. My first little grand baby."

Harry can feel his heart melt as he watches Niall with their granddaughter "She's so cute. You're her favourite, ya know? You formed a special bond with her the day she was born I think. Poor thing. She must have been so sad. I know I would be if I never got to see you again."

Niall chuckled and brushed his lips over Penny's forehead "Well that's never going to happen to either of you."

Harry hummed and lifted the hand that was linked with Niall's so he could kiss the back of Niall's hand "I got your texts. Finn still in his room?"

"Yeah. I snuck in to check on him. He was asleep so that's good. He probably couldn't sleep last night then we got up pretty early this morning. A nap will hopefully do him good. Hopefully the pain in his knee will have dissipated by then as well. I know physical therapy involves pain. He wouldn't admit it but I could see it on his face. It sucks, Harry. Not being able to help your child," Niall says, the frustration evident in his voice.

"Don't I know it," Harry sighs "Maybe things won't be so bad for Finn during all of this. Maybe having Ozzy in his life will make a big difference. Sometimes it's easier to face things when you're in love and you know you have that one person standing beside you no matter what."

"I hope that's the case, darlin'. This is such a scary time in Finn's life right now. Even if he were to shut us out I'd still be happy as long as he was leaning on Ozzy. There's no doubting how much Ozzy loves our son. I see it all over his face every time he looks at Finn."

"Yeah," Harry smiles and rests his head on the couch next to Niall, closing his eyes when Niall starts to slowly run his fingers through his hair "He really does. We had a good day today. I really love having him here, getting to see him everyday. We really bonded during The Voice and he became like a son to me. It was hard when the show was over and I didn't see him as much. Now I can see him everyday."

"I'm happy about that. I know how much he means to you. What else did you do today? You were at the aquarium when I texted you."

"The kids wanted to go on The Eye so we took them on there. After that we got ice cream and messed around in St. James Park for awhile. It was a lot of fun. I think it helped us both with our worrying about Finn. He was still on our minds but we had a distraction with the kids so it was good. Charlie and Matty love playing with Jacob. They're best buddies by now." Harry smiled as he thought of the three little boys playing together.

"Sounds great. Maybe next time we can all go together. You and I can make fun of Fizzy being all loved up," Niall grinned mischievously.

"Fizzy!" Harry slapped a hand over his mouth to keep the snorting laugh that escaped him from waking up Penny "I adore that name. Oh my God!"

"I know you do," Niall rolled his eyes fondly "Remember when we first got together and your sister was number one fan of Narry? Well I think that's you for Fizzy."

"Damn right it is!" Harry said "They're so adorable together and they love each other so much. They remind me of us so of  
course I'm the number one fan!"

"Well, number one fan," Niall teased "Would you like a cuddle with our granddaughter? I haven't spent any time with my boys today since they were asleep when Finn and I left. I'm going to go up and talk to them a bit. Hear about their day."

"They'll love that," Harry smiled "I'll definitely take some cuddles with this little girl until she wakes up."

Niall slowly sat up on the couch and transferred Penny to Harry who was now kneeling on the floor. Once Harry had her securely, he stood up and walked over to one of the armchairs to sit down with Penny against his chest. She stirred a little bit from the movement but didn't wake up.

"I'll be upstairs. If she wakes up and wants to come play with us, send her up," Niall said quietly, then leaned down to kiss them both, Harry on the lips and Penny on the head.

Once Niall disappeared from the room, Harry closed his eyes and let his body relax in the chair. It had been a fun, busy, day so far and he had no doubt that any minute he'd be taking a little nap right along with Penny.

  
~~~

  
Finn somehow managed to fall asleep, despite the pain in his knee. It was probably because he was so exhausted. He didn't sleep the night before, just tossed and turned in his bed, unable to turn his brain off and wondering what would happen at his physical therapy session. Now he woke up feeling groggy and a bit disoriented, probably because his sleep is all messed up. He wakes up early in the morning for a run or for training and never takes naps in the middle of the day. It feels weird to be waking up in the middle of the day...almost dinner time he finds out as he grabs for his phone to check the time.

He sits up with a groan and feels something slide off his knee. He looks down, confused, and sees that his brace has been removed and an ice pack placed on his knee. He should have done both these things before he fell asleep, especially the ice pack since it would help with any swelling that occurred because of the physical therapy, but he knows he didn't. He knows he curled up on his bed and fell asleep. So who did all this for him?

His mind went back to that morning, when he got home and practically ignored his Dad after snapping at him. He's immediately filled with regret because his Dad didn't deserve that and it seems he made sure to take care of Finn no matter how rude Finn was to him. It certainly wasn't Ryanne.

He took his time getting his brace back on and stretching his leg the way Mark showed him. It ached but the pain wasn't as bad as it was this morning. It was bearable and he didn't feel like he wanted to vomit, which was good. He actually felt a little hungry so he grabbed the now warm ice pack and slowly made his way downstairs toward the kitchen. When he got there, his Pop was cooking dinner and his Dad was helping him while Ryanne sat in her swing making cooing noises and the twins ran around outside with what looked like Penny.

"Hi, love," His Pop put down the knife he was holding and came over to hug Finn "I haven't seen you yet today. I missed you."

"Really, Pop?" Finn quirked an eyebrow at his Pop skeptically.

"Yes, really!" His Pop stepped back from the hug and chuckled "Just wait until you have your own kids. You'll want to see their sweet faces every minute of the day."

Finn smiled and shook his head at his Pop then sat down at the table and laid the ice pack in front of him. He looked up at his Dad who was still standing at the counter and when their eyes met, Finn smiled sheepishly at him "Thanks, Dad," He pointed at the ice pack to indicate what he was thanking him for "and...I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Bub. Everything is fine," His Dad said, a reassuring smile on his face.

"It's not okay," Finn shook his head "You were just trying to help me earlier. I shouldn't have snapped at you and locked myself in my room. It was out of line and I just want you to know that I know better and I'm sorry."

"Okay," His Dad nodded and stopped cutting up the vegetables at the counter. He wiped his hands on a towel, then after glancing out the patio doors to make sure the kids were okay, he came to sit at the table with Finn "Apology accepted then. I really wasn't offended or anything, though. Today was the first day of the next few months that are going to be hard for you. It's understandable that you might snap every now and then. I mean, there are times when I'm so exhausted and want to sleep ten more minutes until my alarm goes off but I can't because your Pop is banging stuff around in the bathroom or singing in the shower. I snap at him. I've said some pretty choice words to him over the years actually," His Dad laughed when his Pop snorted his agreement "But he hasn't disowned me. In fact he usually comes out and smacks me across the arse and tells me to shut up. By the time I get up to shower, I'm usually apologizing or else I'd miss my good morning kiss."

"Oh God," Finn groaned "Was there a point to that sappy story?"

"Yes!" His Pop laughed and smacked him across the shoulders with a tea towel "Your Dad was trying to tell you that families snap at each other sometimes but it's not the end of the world. We apologize and that's that so don't beat yourself up over it."

"Alright," Finn's lips quirked up in a smile "I'll try my best. Not only to not let it bother me but I'll try my best not to snap."

"That's all we can ask, Bub. You're going through a lot right now. We understand. If you ever want to talk to us about your PT or how you're feeling, we'll be here. We don't care if it's at four in the morning. We'll always be here to listen and help you. Just remember that, okay?" His Dad said, reaching over and placing his hand on top of his.

"Thank you," Finn said gratefully "I'm not saying I'll never talk to you about it but right now I don't really want to talk about it. I felt kind of hungry when I woke up so I came down for something to eat."

His Dad stood up from the table and went back over to the counter, smiling over his shoulder at Finn "Well I'm helping your Pop make fajita's for dinner. Why don't you have some fruit or something to hold you over?"

"Yeah. I'll take an apple upstairs with me. Call me when dinner is ready please," Finn said as he went over to the bowl on the counter to grab an apple.

"We will. Are you eating with us? Should we set a place at the table for you?" His Pop asked.

"Yeah. I'll come down for dinner. It's okay. I just don't want to talk about my knee," Finn said.

"Then we'll make sure to talk about something else," His Pop smiled "Keep your phone on. I'll text you when dinner is ready."

"Thanks Pop. I love you both. I hope you know how much," Finn said quietly, his gaze falling to his feet.

"We do, Bub. We absolutely do and we love you just as much," His Dad said with a soft smile on his face "We'll see you at dinner."

Finn nodded and turned around to leave the kitchen and head back upstairs. When he got to his bedroom he shut the door and sat down on his bed, quietly munching on his apple while staring out the window. He honestly didn't know what to do with himself. He felt like curling back up in bed and pulling the covers up over his head but he didn't want to be that pathetic so he was fighting the urge to do that.

Sighing, he picked his phone up off his bedside table and cringed when he saw the amount of messages waiting for him. They were all from his friends wishing him good luck in his first physical therapy session. He was so grateful for the messages but he wasn't going to respond right now or at all that day. He knew they knew him well enough not to expect a reply right away so he didn't feel too bad about it. Ozzy, however, was a different story. Finn didn't want him to think he was ignoring him or that he did something wrong. The fact is, he really missed Ozzy and wanted nothing more than to be held by him right now, he just didn't know how. He didn't know how to be around people when he was feeling the way he was feeling. He didn't know how to just let someone take care of him. He always felt like he owed them something, like he should talk about how he's feeling because they're so willing to listen and want so badly to help. He knows it's ridiculous and that the people who love him are fine with him not talking about what's on his mind. It's so bloody frustrating when your brain knows something logically but the rest of you doesn't seem to get on board with it.

He decided to text Ozzy to let him know he's okay but not up for talking tonight. His boyfriend would understand and Finn could rest assured that Ozzy doesn't feel like he's ignoring him.

**Hi, Pet. I just wanted to apologize for not being in touch today. I'm okay, just not much up for talking right now. I'm going to spend a quiet night at home.**

Finn sent the text then waited to see if Ozzy would see it right away or if he was busy with Jacob. Two minutes later, he saw the bubbles dancing on the screen that indicated Ozzy was typing.

**Hi, baby. Don't apologize. I know it was probably a rough day for you. We can talk whenever you feel up to it. Kara is back from Spain tonight so we're going to pick her up from the airport thanks to you lending me your car. We'll be thinking about you. Just remember I'm here if you need anything. I love you!**

Finn couldn't help but smile at the text. He was extremely lucky to have a boyfriend like Ozzy. He was so understanding and he didn't push. If Finn needed time alone for some reason, he simply said okay and that was that. It was a far cry from his last girlfriend who was needy as fuck. He feels stupid for not seeing her for who she really was sooner. He likes to think he's an intelligent human being. It shouldn't have taken him six months to figure out.

**I love you, too, Oz. Thank you.**

Finn sent the last text with the kissy face emoji then put his phone down on the bed next to him and lay back with his head propped up by pillows. He closed his eyes and just concentrated on his breathing, trying to just clear his mind of anything else. The pain in his knee was manageable now. It was just his fears bouncing around in his head that he needed to get control over.

His phone dinged five minutes later and he picked it up to see if his Dad was letting him know that dinner was ready. It wasn't his Dad, it was Ozzy again.

**Thought maybe this could cheer you up a bit.**

Along with the text was a video. Finn opened it and Jacob appeared on the screen, only it was a much younger Jacob, a baby Jacob. He was standing on wobbly legs in some room Finn didn't recognize and he could hear Ozzy's voice in the background.

"Come on, little bear, come to Papa. Walk to Papa," Ozzy said in an encouraging voice.

Finn watched with wide eyes as the little, blonde, blue eyed, baby, looked in the direction of Ozzy's voice and grinned, showing off his two front teeth. The little boy giggled then very slowly, on wobbly legs, he took one step forward and stopped.

"That's it, baby bear! That's it. Take another step. Come over to Papa," Ozzy encouraged him.

Jacob's face became set with concentration, his brow furrowed as he moved his other foot forward. The camera moved out a bit and Finn could see Ozzy now, down on his knees on the floor with his arms held out to Jacob. He kept encouraging the little boy and soon his steps became faster, more confident, until he reached Ozzy and Ozzy scooped him up in his arms and kissed him all over his face. Jacob squealed and giggled while Ozzy cried and laughed at the same time.

"Harry! I can't believe my baby took his first steps backstage at 'The Voice'" Ozzy said through his tears and laughter.

"It was beautiful!" Finn could hear his Pop reply and he realized his Pop was the one taking the video.

Two other people came on screen then, wrapping their arms around Ozzy and Jacob, celebrating with them. Finn recognized Ozzy's sister, Rachel and his Mum Carolyn. The camera stayed on them for another minute then the video ended and Finn put his phone down so he could wipe at his eyes.

"God," Finn wiped the tears from his eyes and chuckled at himself. He couldn't help but get sappy over the video. He didn't think Jacob could be any sweeter or cuter than he is right now but apparently he was wrong. He was the most adorable little baby with chubby, red cheeks and a smile that could light up any room. Getting to watch him take his first steps with Ozzy there cheering him on, completely filled his heart with so much love he didn't know what to do with it all. There was no doubt in his mind that he was completely in love with that little boy and would do anything for him.

Picking up his phone again, he immediately sent a text to Ozzy that was nothing but a long row of heart emojis.

**Cute, huh? I thought you might enjoy that. There's plenty more where that came from. Just say the word and I'll e-mail you a ton of videos.**

Finn immediately texted back.

**Yes please! Thank you, Pet. I really needed that.**

**No problem, baby. There will be videos on the way soon. Love you!**

A text came through from his Dad a few minutes later and Finn headed downstairs for dinner with his family. Nori and Kate were obviously still out at friends houses but everyone else was there. The twins both hugged him when he came into the kitchen, Penny not far behind. She was so sweet and it always boggled Finn's mind when he heard her, Maddie or Danny call him Uncle Finn. It felt strange being called an Uncle when he was so young but it was a good strange. He liked it.

"Pop," Finn pulled out his phone to show his Pop as he sat down at the table "Look at what Ozzy sent me."

His Pop looked at him out of the corner of his eye, a wary look on his face "Do I really want to look at a video your boyfriend sent you?"

"Don't be gross!" Finn said over his Dad's cackling laughter.

"Sorry," His Pop giggled and took the phone from Finn, clicking the play button "Oh Niall! Come look at this! Oh my God, I remember this like it was yesterday."

Finn sat with a smile on his face as he watched his parents watching the video. When they were done, Finn put his phone in his pocket and they all began to eat.

"You know, I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier but we spent the day with Ozzy and Jacob, didn't we Charlie and Matty?" His Pop said.

"Yes!" The twins said in unison before Charlie we continued "We went to the aquarium!"

"And we went on the big eye!" Matty chimed in.

"And had ice cream!" Charlie added.

"Wow! Really?" Finn looked at his Pop, surprised "I didn't know you had plans?"

"We didn't," His Pop shook his head after taking a sip of water "Ozzy texted me this morning to say he was taking Jacob to the aquarium and Jacob asked if the twins could come. We didn't have any definite plans for today so I said sure."

"Yeah! It was so much fun, Finny! Jacob is our best friend, right Matty?"

"Uh huh! He is," Matty agreed "And Ozzy is really funny. We're glad he's your boyfriend, Finny. That means he'll come over and bring Jacob and we can do fun stuff together. Ozzy knows how to ice skate. He said he'll teach us because Papa will just fall on his face."

"That is so true, Matty!" His Dad managed to say through his laughter "Oh my God!"

"I can't even defend myself here. It is completely true. My arse was bruised that time I went ice skating in my music video. That was the last time I let Ben come up with the concept for one of my music videos" His Pop said, laughing.

"Is that why we never went ice skating when I was a kid?" Finn asked, amused.

"Yes. We value our children's lives too much to put you in the way of your Pop on skates," His Dad said seriously, then promptly burst into laughter again.

When the laughter died down, Finn looked at his Pop "I like that you're close with Ozzy and that you can do things with him like you did today. It means a lot to me but probably even more to him. I know he doesn't show it but I think not having a proper Dad growing up really hurt him. There's no way it didn't. No way such a caring, loving guy doesn't feel that loss."

His Pop reached over and squeezed his hand gently "He's very important to me. He can always count on me for anything. I made sure he knew that after the show was over and we parted ways. You can both count on me and your Dad no matter what."

"Thanks, Pop," Finn all but whispered, then the meal went on with the twins and Penny pretty much chattering away the whole time, making the adults laugh.

Afterward, Finn said goodnight and went back up to his room. He got ready for bed even though it was only eight o'clock, then he got under the covers and pulled out his IPad so he could check his e-mail to see the videos Ozzy sent him.

He must have fallen asleep watching the videos because the next thing he knows he wakes up with a start after having a terrible dream. He was at Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea fans were chanting his name. He was standing right in the middle of the pitch and he needed to run toward the goal, needed to get in position because he's a striker and strikers score goals. Only...he couldn't move. It was like his bad leg was stuck in cement. His knee wouldn't bend. Every time he tried to bend it there was excruciating pain. He could see his teammates in front of him, passing the ball back and forth, all of them looking at him with panicked looks on their faces. The other team was baring down on them, they needed to move the ball forward before they lost it. Finn couldn't move, though, he just _couldn't_ _move_.

Eventually, Chelsea lost the ball and the other team scored. The fans started booing and chanting Finn's name, only this time it wasn't in a good way. They were jeering him. Even his family in the front row were looking at him with disappointed looks. That's when he woke up.

Now, he sits up in his bed and throws the blankets off his body as he struggles to catch his breath. His knee is throbbing again, the pain almost too much to bare. That wasn't his biggest problem right now though. His chest was tight and he was gasping in air. It was almost like he was going to start hyperventilating.

Without even thinking about it, he grabs his phone from the bedside table and clicks on Ozzy's name. He's not sure what's driving him to call his boyfriend at three o'clock in the morning. He just knows he needs him, needs to hear his voice.

The phone rings six times before his boyfriend's soft, groggy voice says "Hello."

"Oz?" Finn drew in a breath and let it out slowly, but shakily "Ozzy?"

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line then the rustle of sheets as Ozzy must have begun to move around "Finn? Baby? It's three o'clock in the morning. Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"I-I don't know," Finn said in a shaky voice "I-I mean, God Ozzy, I had this terrible dream and when I-when I woke up I-I was sweating and it's hard to breathe and my knee-my knee-"

"Okay, baby. It's okay. Don't talk, just breathe. Listen to my voice, okay? You have to breathe. Take a breath in, one, two, then out, one two. In, one, two, out, one, two," Ozzy coaxed him in a calm, gentle voice.

Finn did as his boyfriend asked, breathing in and out until his chest started to feel less tight. It didn't feel completely normal but it was definitely an improvement to how he felt ten minutes ago.

"Do you want me to come over, baby?" Ozzy asked him, the concern in his voice making him feel warm inside.

Finn cleared his throat before answering, his voice still coming out a bit shaky "What about Jacob? No, you can't wake him. I'll-I'll be okay."

"Baby, Kara came back from Spain tonight, remember? She'll be here with Jacob. I'm worried about you right now. I'm coming over, okay? I'll be there in ten minutes. Wait for me by the door so you can let me in and I don't wake everybody up," Ozzy told him and Finn could hear him moving around now, probably getting dressed.

"Okay," Finn said, his voice sounding frail and weak "Okay, yeah. Please. I need you."

"I'll tell Kara I'm leaving and I'll be right over, baby. Keep breathing normally for me, okay? I love you," Ozzy murmured into the phone. Finn could hear him walking now, then heard a door open and whispering. He must have been waking Kara up to let her know he's leaving. "I'm heading out the door now," Ozzy said a minute later "I'll be there soon."

"Okay. I'll wait downstairs. Thank you. For doing this. I-I just-I don't know what to do. I don't feel like myself right now," Finn said as he stood up on shaky legs. He's not used to feeling physically off. He's not used to his body betraying him. He's not used to feeling so terrified.

"Do you want me to stay on the line with you while I drive? I can connect my phone to your Bluetooth," Ozzy offered.

"No. I'm-I'm okay. I'm going to splash some water on my face and get a drink of water. I'll see you when you get here," Finn told his boyfriend, then they hung up and Finn went to the bathroom to wash his face and drink some water. When he was done he pulled some joggers on over his boxers and pulled a t-shirt on over his head then he slowly walked down the stairs and turned off the alarm so he could go outside and sit on the steps to wait for Ozzy.

Ten minutes later, Finn heard a car at the gate and stood up while his boyfriend punched in the code and drove up the short drive. When Ozzy pulled Finn's car to a stop and turned it off, he quickly got out and smiled at Finn, making Finn immediately feel relief all over.

"Come here," Ozzy said, his voice gentle as he lifted his arms and wrapped them around Finn, pulling him close and kissing his cheek "I'm here. Whatever you need."

Finn buried his nose in Ozzy's neck and breathed him in. He smelled like the bubblegum shampoo that he uses on Jacob's hair and that made Finn burrow in even closer as he thought about the little boy he was coming to love so much. He can picture Jacob and Ozzy at bath time- Jacob splashing water around while Ozzy laughed and splashed back, his clothes and the floor getting soaked with water and bubbles. Thinking of that made him feel calm. He felt happy and peaceful whenever he thought of his boyfriend and his little boy.

"Let's go inside," Ozzy whispered "You never know when someone might be around taking pictures."

Finn nodded against Ozzy's neck then let Ozzy lead him inside, quietly closing the door behind them. They went into the living room and sat down- Ozzy with his back to the arm of the couch and Finn in between his legs. They didn't speak, just sat there while Ozzy ran his fingers through Finn's hair and occasionally kissed the top of his head or his shoulder over his t-shirt.

"Thank you for offering to come over," Finn said quietly, after almost an hour. It was after four in the morning now and since it was June the sun would start to rise soon.

"I'll always come when you need me. If I'm on the other side of the world I'll stay on the phone with you, no matter what time it is. You and Jacob are the most important people in my life. You're my priority," Ozzy murmured, his hand gently brushing down over Finn's arm to link their fingers together.

"I think I was having a panic attack. Because of the dream I had," Finn said slowly, trying to work everything out in his head.

Ozzy hummed and kissed Finn's shoulder again "Possibly. Do you want to tell me about it?"

Finn blew out a long breath and tipped his head back so that it was resting on Ozzy's shoulder. It gave Ozzy easy access to his neck and when he placed a gentle kiss over his pulse point, Finn closed his eyes and sighed, basking in the warmth that took over his body "I feel safe like this."

"Good," Ozzy tightened his arms around Finn "I want you to."

They were silent again for five minutes, then Finn began to speak "I was playing a match with Chelsea. My teammates were counting on me. They were waiting for me to take the ball but I couldn't. I was stuck standing there in the middle of the pitch, unable to move. My knee was killing me. Eventually the cheers turned to boos and my teammates all looked at me like I let them down, my parents in the front row looked at me like they were so disappointed in me. I was horrified, humiliated. It was just..."

"It was your fears manifesting themselves in your dream," Ozzy said gently "You know it's not true, though, right? If you never play professional soccer again, your parents, your family, your friends, me, none of us will be close to being disappointed in you. That will _never_ happen. Never."

"I know," Finn nodded his head slightly. He did know that. "Logically I know that. I think this waiting is messing with my head. I just wish I knew right now if my knee will be strong enough. At least then if I was told it would never be strong enough I could start to face it and get on with my life. Not knowing what I'll be doing a year from now is horrible. I could be playing footie or I could be at university. Maybe I'll be on tour with you and driving you crazy. I don't know!"

"You will be welcome on my tour any time and you will never drive me crazy. I would love every minute of having you there," Ozzy said with a smile on his face. Finn could feel it against his cheek.

"That's good because I want to visit you on tour and see what it's like. I've only ever seen my Pop's tours. I'm sure yours are different,"

"I think you'll like it. Every thing is pretty low key. I'm not a crazy diva or anything," Ozzy laughed "My band is great, my team is great, my fans are great. You know what will be awesome? After the show when I'm full of adrenaline after being on stage for two hours, you'll be there to fuck the energy right out of me. Mmm, I'm looking forward to that."

Finn let out a loud laugh then quickly covered his mouth before he woke everybody up "That does sound good. Maybe you'll use all that energy to fuck _me_. We could do it both ways."

"Yeah?" Ozzy nudged his nose along Finn's jaw. "You want me to fuck you?"

Finn swallowed hard and nodded his head against Ozzy's chest "Yeah. I want to do it with you. I trust you."

"Okay. We'll do that. Whenever you want, baby. No pressure okay?" Ozzy said into his ear, his voice soothing and gentle.

"Okay," Finn closed his eyes and let the warmth from Ozzy's body envelop him "I'm so tired."

"Go to sleep then my love. I'll be here when you wake up," Ozzy murmured.

Finn didn't respond, he was too comfortable in Ozzy's arms and the body heat made him feel so relaxed it was almost like he was on drugs. When Ozzy began to hum softly and lightly brush his fingers through his hair, he was asleep in seconds.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everybody!
> 
> This next chapter is a little shorter than I normally write, I think, but I do hope you enjoy it. I've been battling some writers block for the past couple of months so I thank you all for being patient with me. It means a lot!
> 
> Let me know what you all think of the chapter :)

 

 

  
**July 2043**

  
Niall lifts his head from the kitchen table when he hears the front door open and close, hoping to God it's his husband walking through the door.

"Dad?! Are you here?"

Nope, not his husband. He quickly slides his chair back and half walks half runs out of the kitchen toward the front entrance where he finds Rory walking toward him with a worried face "Shhhhhh. For god's sake!" Niall whisper yells "Shut your damn mouth before you wake everybody up. The first child in this house that wakes up is going to your house for you to deal with!"

Rory looks at him with wide eyes and mouth agape "Dad! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Niall grabbed his son's arm and dragged him into the living room "Don't curse at me! I'm your father!"

"Dad!" Rory looked at him incredulously "I just turned thirty-six years old. I think I'm a bit old to be scolded right now."

"Well I don't care if you're eighty-six! I'm your father and you're not cursing at me," Niall pointed a finger and glared at his son.

Rory looked at him like he had ten heads for a minute, then his lips started to twitch and Niall could see him biting his cheek to keep from laughing.

"Oh. You think this is funny, do ya?" Niall asked, his hands on his hips and one foot tapping against the floor.

"I'm sorry!" Rory wailed as he bent over and started laughing loudly "It's just- it's just- you should see yourself right now. What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with me?" Niall ran a hand through his hair and started pacing the floor "I'll tell you what's wrong with me. Your Pop is in boot camp and your brother's and sister are possessed by the devil!"

If possible, Rory started laughing even harder and had to brace himself by putting an arm behind him on the arm of the couch. He lowered himself down into a sitting position and when it seemed like he was getting control over himself, he looked up at Niall's glowering stare and started laughing all over again.

"I hate you," Niall said, folding his arms over his chest like a child.

"No you don't." Rory said when his laughter tapered off into giggles "You love me. I'm your first born. I'll always be special."

Niall scoffed "Someone thinks highly of themselves."

Rory shrugged "It's all true. Anyway, which brother's and sister are possessed by the devil? And why is Pop in boot camp? Did you get mad at him and send him off to enlist in the Navy?"

"He's almost fifty. The Navy would never take him," Niall said off handedly as he continued to pace.

"Um, not the point, Dad! Where's Pop? The whole reason I'm here at ten o'clock at night is because I've been texting and calling you all day and haven't gotten a response. Same with Pop! His phone is turned off. I was scared so I came over to see if you were okay,"

Niall stopped pacing and reached into his pocket for his phone. When he touched the home screen nothing happened and he immediately realized his phone was dead. He looked up at his son, his expression softening "I'm sorry, love. My phone is out of battery. I didn't realize it. I'm sorry for worrying you. Everyone is fine."

"...except for being in boot camp and possessed by the devil." Rory said with a quirked eyebrow.

Niall laughed and flopped down on the couch next to Rory, resting his head against Rory's shoulder "Sorry. It's been a bad day. Really bad."

"What happened, Dad?" Rory asked quietly, his arm coming up to slide across Niall's shoulders and give him a one armed hug.

Niall sighed "Your Pop has been really busy this week. It's boot camp at X-Factor plus he's had meetings with Eric, the other judges, and producers. They've been doing publicity and probably more stuff too, so he's gone early in the morning and he gets home so late I'm asleep or just exhausted. We haven't had time to talk and he hasn't had time to do anything around the house or with the kids. I miss him and I think the twins do, too, and that's why they've been acting like bloody brats the past few days. Absolute terrors! Then this morning I woke up to find Ryanne with a bad stomach. I swear all I can smell is shit. Do I smell like baby shit? You know how awful shit smells when a baby is only on formula and not started foods yet."

"Oh God, yes. That smell could wake the dead!" Rory said with a disgusted face.

Niall snorted and lifted his head off Rory's shoulder so he could sit up and pull his knees up to his chest and wrap his arms around his legs "Trying to handle a three month old with diarrhea and two brats has taken a lot out of me today. Seriously, I've never seen the twins behave so badly."

Rory hummed and tapped his fingers against the couch while he thought "They probably do miss Pop but I don't think that's all it is. I love my brother but for the past month, Finn has been a real dick. They probably miss him as well. He normally hangs out with them a lot but these days he's not really hanging out with anybody too much."

Niall groaned and buried his face in his lap for a second before lifting his head up again and resting his chin on his knees "That's another thing I don't know what to do about. He's scared, I know he is. I can't even imagine how he's feeling. I wish I could help him. He lets Ozzy in so that's a good thing. Not always though. Sometimes he's here and just stays in his room instead of being at Ozzy's. I hope it's not affecting their relationship. Ozzy is so great and he's so good to Finn. I don't want Finn to drive him away because he's scared and taking out his frustrations on his boyfriend."

"He shouldn't be taking out his frustrations on anybody, Dad! He knows better than that. If he needs to let loose he needs to use a punching bag or meditate or whatever. Yelling and snapping at me or you or Ozzy is not acceptable and if he keeps it up he'll get a nice piece of my mind. He's going through a tough time but we can't baby him," Rory said heatedly "I hope Ozzy isn't letting him get away with any bullshit when he's over there."

"I don't know," Niall sighed "I'm not going to interfere in their relationship. Right now I'm just exhausted and want my husband."

"Dad, why didn't you call me? I would have come over to help you. Ryanne is sick. I could have taken the twins out," Rory said.

Niall waved his hand in the air dismissively "You have three kids of your own to take care of and a wife who works full time. Making you take care of five kids and leaving me with just one hardly seems fair."

"Yeah but with Pop so busy, Nori in Africa, and Kate in Ireland with Bobby, it's okay to ask for some help. Anna and I have a part time nanny we use. I could have lefts the kids with her and-"

"Stop right there!" Niall held a hand up to signal Rory to stop talking "You've just retired and can now spend as much time with your kids as you want. You will not leave them with the nanny to help your parents. No way, no how. Don't even bring it up again."

"Dad," Rory rolled his eyes "You know I don't mind."

"Well I _do_ mind and so would your Pop so shut it," Niall said.

"Alright, alright," Rory put his hands up in surrender. He was silent for a minute before he continued talking "I know you and Pop talk about everything before decisions are made. You must have been okay with him doing the X-Factor. Do you regret telling him to do it?"

"Not one bit," Niall said emphatically "I can't _wait_ to see the shows air. I love watching Harry on the telly. I love watching his face light up when he hears someone singing and he knows they'll be a star. I love watching him trying not to cringe when someone who really can't sing starts butchering some iconic song. I love watching him mentoring other artists. It's where he belongs and I wouldn't trade seeing how happy he gets for anything."

"So what I walked in on here was...?"

Niall laughed loudly at himself and shook his head "That was your Dad having a strop and venting his frustrations. Thankfully I had my wonderful first born son here to listen to me."

"I did tell you I'm wonderful," Rory grinned at him and Niall still couldn't get over how much his son looked like him. Their smile was so similar it was like looking in the mirror sometimes.

"Since you're here do you want a beer? I could use one," Niall said as he dropped his feet to the floor and stood up stretching.

"Yeah I can have one. I'll text Anna and let her know I'm staying for a bit. The kids were already in bed when I left,"

"Say hello from me. I'll be right back with those beer," Niall said, then he left the room to go into the kitchen to get two beer out of the fridge. When he gets back to the living room, Rory is just putting his phone down on the table so Niall hands him a beer, they tap the bottles together and say cheers, then Niall sits down next to his son on the couch. "This is nice. It's been awhile since you and I just sat down together like this."

"Yeah it has, hasn't it?" Rory tips his beer up to his mouth to take a sip "Busy, busy lives. You and Pop have a million kids and I-"

"Fuck off!" Niall laughed and kicked his bare foot out, catching Rory in the shin "There's nothing wrong with having seven kids! We love children and we have the means to take care of them."

"I know," Rory chuckled "You're the best parents in the world. All of us are so lucky." Rory paused for a moment then a shy grin appeared on his face as he looked down at his lap "Actually, speaking of a lot of kids..."

Niall folded one leg up underneath himself and looked at Rory quizzically "Yessss?"

Rory looked up at him, his smile getting wider and his eyes shining "I shouldn't be saying anything yet but...God I can't help it! Anna's pregnant! Ten weeks along!"

"Holy fuck!!" Niall practically shouted, then he put his bottle on the table and lunged at his son, grabbing him in a bear hug and trapping his bottle of beer in between them "Oh my God, that's such great news! Brilliant news! I'm so happy for you both! Another grand baby for me to spoil! I can't wait!"

Rory laughed and after managing to put his own beer bottle down on the end table he hugged Niall properly, Niall not wanting to let go "Thanks Dad. We're pretty excited too. I guess we love kids like you and Pop."

"Of course you do! You're such a great father, too." Niall slapped Rory's back one last time before they pulled apart "Jesus. I'm so proud of the man you've become. I was so scared in the beginning, afraid I'd screw you up once your Mum died. Poor Harry had to calm me down more than once about it."

"You were great, Dad," Rory smiled softly at him "The best. If you were scared I never knew it and because of you, I wasn't scared. Mam was all I had for fifteen years. I didn't know what would happen to me before she told me about you. It was terrifying. Once I met you and Pop, I knew I'd be okay. I got through her death _because_ of the both of you. I'm a great Dad _because_ of the both of you. So no, you didn't screw me up. Not even close."

"Thank you," Niall whispered gruffly as he tried to keep himself composed. He reached for his beer again and took a long sip "I love you. Thank you for saying that."

"I love you, too, Dad," Rory reached out and squeezed his shoulder gently.

They were quiet for the next few minutes, both just sipping on their beer when Rory spoke up again "Hey Dad? Don't tell anyone about the pregnancy, yeah? I mean, you can tell Pop. I know you guys don't keep anything from each other, but nobody else okay? Anna might kill me for telling you as it is. After last time we just-we want to wait a bit."

"Of course," Niall looked at his son sadly, remembering the day Harry had told him what their son told him about the miscarriage "I'll keep it to myself. I won't tell your Pop either, if you'd rather tell him yourself."

"Maybe. It depends on when I get the chance. If I don't see him for a week I don't expect you to keep it to yourself that whole time," Rory said.

"Well," Niall tilted his head to the side as he heard the sound of a car door outside "Might not take that long if that car door I just heard is your Pop."

Both men were silent as they heard the door open and close and the sounds of keys being dropped on the table in the foyer. "Harry? Is that you?" Niall called out after a minute.

"It's me!" Harry called back from the foyer "Is Rory here? His car is in the driveway."

"Yeah, I'm here Pop!" Rory called out.

"Hey!" Harry appeared in the living room doorway with a smile on his face "What are you doing here so late?"

Rory snorted "Checking to see if you and Dad were alive. I couldn't reach either one of you all day. I got worried."

Harry walked over to the couch with a frown on his face and sat down next to Niall, reaching over Niall's body to squeeze Rory's arm "I'm sorry, love. I was on set all day. I left my phone in my dressing room."

"Mine was dead," Niall explained to Harry "Since he was here we decided to have a beer. Want one darlin'?"

"No, love, I'm good thanks," Harry said, then he leaned in and kissed Niall softly, his hand coming up to cup Niall's cheek "Hi. I missed you today."

Niall smiled against Harry's lips and brought a hand up to rest behind Harry's neck. This moment right here is everything. It makes everything he went through today just disappear from his brain "I missed you, too."

"Oh you have no idea how much he missed you," Rory murmured under his breath, making Niall bark out a laugh and Harry look at him with a weird look on his face.

"What am I missing?" Harry asked as he curled his body into Niall's on the couch.

"Possessed children, apparently. I forgot to ask Dad if they were levitating over their beds and spinning their heads around and around," Rory said amused.

"Oh my God!" Harry slapped Niall's arm when he burst out laughing "What happened?"

"Explosive diarrhea," Niall said when he stopped laughing "To start with."

"To start with?" Harry had a disgusted look on his face "What else happened and which child had the diarrhea?"

"After I last talked to you this morning, when you said you'd be leaving your phone in your dressing room, Ryanne got an upset stomach and has been going through nappies like nobody's business," Niall explained "On top of that the twins are acting out again, like bloody brats, and before Finn left for Ozzy's this afternoon he was just as delightful as he has been since he started physical therapy. Basically not delightful _at_ _all_."

Harry took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning to look at Niall sympathetically "I'm sorry, baby. You've been dealing with all this on your own all week. I should have been here."

"No, darlin', you had to work and I understand that. Many times over the years I had to work late and you had five kids to handle on your own. It's fine. Nothing I can't handle. I'm exhausted, sure, but once this part of filming is finished you can pamper me. Make all my favourite foods and I'll eat them in a nice hot bath with lots of bubbles and ten beer," Niall grinned at his husband.

"Oh no. If you think you're getting chocolate cake in the bath again, you're sorely mistaken. You dropped it last time and then I got in with you and sat on it!" Harry reminded him.

"Oh my God! Hello! Child in the room!" Rory waved his arm around to get their attention.

"Oh fuck right off," Niall laughed "You're thirty-six years old! You're not a child."

"I'm _your_ child and I don't need to know what kinky shit you two get up to while taking a bath!" Rory said incredulously.

"Actually, speaking of shit, how is Ryanne? You've been using lots of cream so her bum doesn't get sore, right? And what about dehydration? Do you think she needs to go to the Doctor?" Harry looked worried.

"Harry! She's fine, darlin'. This is not the first time I've dealt with one of our children having diarrhea. I've kept a close eye on her and I've made sure she doesn't get a sore bum. It's all under control. You can see for yourself when she wakes up again for a nappy change. It's been over an hour. It should be happening any minute now and you're up, Papa!"

"That's okay," Harry sighed "I miss my babies so much this week I'll happily tackle the explosive diarrhea. What about the twins? Do you think they're acting out because I've been gone a lot? Like they're testing your authority or something? They're more used to me being home a lot while you work five days a week."

"I certainly thought of that," Niall said while rubbing a hand over the stubble on his chin "Even during my paternity leave you've been home a lot. They could be testing me. Rory actually said something earlier that kind of got me thinking too. Maybe part of their acting out has to do with Finn's acting out. They idolize their brother and all of a sudden he's so moody all the time and not paying attention to them like he normally does."

"That's- Rory, did you take psychology courses when I wasn't looking?" Harry looked at their son, clearly impressed "That actually makes a lot of sense. We've got to do something about Finn, Niall."

"I was telling Dad earlier that maybe it's time to stop babying him. None of us can begin to understand what he's going through. We completely sympathize with him, though, and we're doing everything we can for him. We don't deserve his snapping and shitty attitude and he needs to learn that no matter what he's going through he can't treat people like that. He _does_ know that, I think he just lost sight of it in his fear. Maybe he just needs to be reminded," Rory shrugged.

"Christ," Niall muttered and turned toward his son " _Have_ you been taking Uni courses?"

"No!" Rory laughed and pulled a throw pillow out from behind himself to smack his parents with "Stop it. I just know Finn, that's all. I know all my family because I love all of you to death. Don't make me regret that!"

Niall and Harry are laughing along with their son when the baby monitor comes to life and Ryanne starts crying "That's my cue!" Harry stood up.

"Yeah, I should get going anyway. Get back to my wife and let you two get to bed. I know you're both exhausted," Rory said as he stood up.

"Alright well, your Dad will walk you out. I love you and drive safe. Kiss Anna and my grand babies for me," Harry said as he hugged Rory "I'll see you upstairs, Ni."

When Harry was gone, Niall walked Rory to the door and stood propped against the wall while his son put his shoes on "That would have been a good time to tell your Pop about the baby. When he mentioned grand babies. Unfortunately your sister was crying."

"Exactly," Rory chuckled "And after the day you had it was definitely Pop's turn. You can tell him when you go up. I don't mind. Just makes sure he keeps it quiet."

"I will," Niall stepped forward and hugged his son tight "Love you, Rory. See you soon, yeah?"

"You bet," Rory smiled at Niall when he pulled back "Love you, Dad. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Niall told his son then he locked the door behind him and set the alarm before turning out the lights and heading upstairs to his husband.

 

 **August** **2043**

  
Ozzy sighed as he finished packing his clothes in a duffel bag. He didn't pack much, a couple of pairs of jeans, a couple shirts, and some socks and underwear. He was on his way to L.A. to shoot a music video for his first single off his new album that was due to drop on iTunes and the radio next week. A couple weeks after the single dropped, the video would come out.

The problem is, he didn't really want to go. He was going to be gone for a week because while he was there he had interviews to do and photo shoots for magazines that would be coming out the week his album came out in November. He also was meeting with his management to go over some things for his tour next year. It was all stuff he didn't mind doing, in fact he liked it the first time around, when he was doing it for his first album.

This time he had Finn, though, and he didn't want to leave him. It had been six weeks since Finn started his physical therapy and there was no doubt it was taking a physical and emotional toll on him. There were moments he was his normal self but sometimes he was withdrawn and when Ozzy tried to talk to him he would only snap at him. It was hard but Ozzy understood. Finn was in pain physically after the sessions, which was normal but still not easy to deal with. He was also in pain emotionally because he was scared for his future and it didn't help that Chelsea's first match of the season was coming up and he wouldn't be in it.

Ozzy had no choice but to leave, though. He had to work and he couldn't put his career in jeopardy. He had a son to provide for and he was also thinking about the future. He wanted to be set for life when he started a family someday so he could provide for them stress free. Besides, he knew Finn would kill him if he cancelled everything just for him. He would blow up and probably never forgive Ozzy. So he was going to L.A. tomorrow and Jacob and Kara were coming with him. His Mother lived in California now and this was a chance for her to spend the week with Jacob before he came back to London to start school.

"I've got Jacob's bag all packed and ready to go in the morning. He's excited to see Grandma again," Kara chuckled as she walked into Ozzy's room.

"Hopefully he doesn't tell her she's old," Ozzy laughed, remembering that morning they went to the aquarium with Harry and the twins and Jacob called his grandmother old.

Kara snorted "I don't want to be around if he does. It's funny how fifty seems ancient when you're four years old. I remember thinking my parents were ancient when they were thirty-five. Now that I'm almost thirty I realize how very wrong I was."

"You looked ancient yesterday when you smacked your hip off the counter and started walking around like you just had a hip replacement," Ozzy couldn't help but laugh at the memory of her hobbling around and Jacob mimicking her.

"Oh fuck off you," Kara smacked him on the arm but she was laughing too "Is Finn coming over tonight?"

"Yeah. He's bringing pizza for dinner on his way over," Ozzy said.

"Do you want me to go out so the three of you can have some time alone?" Kara asked.

"Nah. He's bringing enough pizza for the three of us. We don't have anything planned. Just a quiet night in. If you _want_ to go out with your friends or something that's fine. We're not going anywhere so Jacob is covered. You're free to do what you want,"

"I may go out with Elise. She's got this new guy she's dating and she wants my opinion," Kara rolled her eyes "If she can't decide on her own then she may as well dump him. She can't be that into him. Anyway, it'll be amusing to me. I'll stay for pizza though. It's not New York pizza but it'll do."

"I think we should change our flight on the way back and stop in New York for a few days," Ozzy says, the idea popping into his head all of a sudden "You can visit your parents, I'll visit my friends and sister, and best of all-"

"PIZZA!!!!" Kara shouted happily, grabbing Ozzy and swinging the two of them around the room in a little dance.

"PIZZA!!!" Jacob screamed as he came running into the room and joined the dancing.

By the time they stopped dancing around like lunatics, they were out of breath and a giggling mess. They fell on to Ozzy's bed and Ozzy took his phone out to take a video of Jacob all red cheeked and giggly. He was so cute. That video was definitely going on Twitter.

A couple of hours later, Ozzy and Kara were playing games with Jacob when Ozzy heard a car pull up outside. He left Jacob with Kara and jumped up to head outside to meet Finn. He knew his boyfriend had PT that morning and he wanted to help him carry in the pizza's and his bag he usually brought when he was going to sleep over.

"Hi, baby," Ozzy came up behind Finn who was bent over into the backseat to get the pizza's and his bag.

"Hey," Finn stood up with the pizza boxes in his hands and his bag over his shoulder. He leaned in to kiss Ozzy and Ozzy kissed him back, smiling into the kiss after a minute because he just loved kissing this man.

"Here," Ozzy reached for the pizza's when they pulled apart "Let me take these from you."

"Why?" Finn asked, the smile on his face turning to a frown.

Ozzy looked at his boyfriend, a puzzled look on his face "What do you mean? To help."

"I don't need help. I can carry two boxes of pizza's, Oz. I'm not a fucking invalid," Finn snapped, then he brushed past Ozzy with the pizza's in hand and headed for the door.

Ozzy stood where he was, stunned and a bit fed up with his boyfriend's moods and attitude over the past few weeks. Offering to take the pizza's was something Ozzy would do whether Finn had surgery or not. He'd offer to do that for anyone. He wasn't trying to imply Finn wasn't capable of carrying them. He wanted to go after his boyfriend and set him straight but he already had the door open and Ozzy didn't want Jacob to hear them arguing so he let it go for now and followed his boyfriend into the house.

Over the next few hours they ate pizza, played games, Kara left to go out, and Ozzy and Finn sat together on the couch, quietly  
talking about random things while Jacob was immersed in his tv show.

When it was time for Jacob to go to bed, he said goodnight to Finn downstairs so Finn wouldn't have to climb the stairs unnecessarily, then Ozzy took him up, watched him brush his teeth then tucked him into bed and read him a story. When he went back downstairs, Finn was still on the couch waiting for him.

"I'll miss you when you leave tomorrow," Finn said quietly when Ozzy sat back down beside him.

"I know. I'll miss you, too. I wish you could come along. I know you can't miss your PT this coming week, though. Maybe next time," Ozzy curled into Finn's side and rested his head on Finn's shoulder.

"Hopefully." Finn murmured as he wrapped his arm around Ozzy "You'll be back in a week though. I suppose I can amuse myself until then."

"Actually, it'll be a bit longer than a week. I was talking to Kara earlier and it popped into my head that we should stop in New York on the way back so me and Jacob can see my sister and her family and Kara can see her parents. Also, we're both craving some New York pizza," Ozzy chuckled.

The room grew quiet and Ozzy immediately felt Finn's body tense up beside him. He sat up and pulled away from his boyfriend so he could see his face and what he saw was Finn's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. Okay.

"What's up?" Ozzy asked, raising an eyebrow at his boyfriend's sudden change in demeanour.

"What's up?" Finn looked at him, an incredulous look on his face "Really? You just told me you're going to be gone longer than you originally said. For weeks you've been saying it's only a week then the night before you leave it's suddenly changed? Because you want some fucking _pizza_?"

Ozzy sat back and stared at his boyfriend in shock. Maybe he shouldn't be shocked though. He'd been acting like this on and off for weeks "Excuse me? What's the big deal? It's just a few days extra."

"You didn't tell me!!!" Finn blew up, his voice rising "I thought you were coming back in a week and now I find out it'll be God knows how long?? All because you want some pizza? Excuse me if I'm shocked my boyfriend would rather eat pizza in New York than come home and see me!"

Ozzy stood up and walked around the room for a few minutes, completely ignoring his boyfriend while he tried to calm down. When he turned back to Finn, he knew he was seething but he managed to keep his voice down for Jacob's sake "First of all keep your fucking voice down! Got it?? My four year old child is asleep upstairs and if he wakes up to hear you yelling you can be sure that right now is the last time you'll ever see my face in person."

Finn's eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open but Ozzy wasn't done. Far from it.

"You know what, Finn? I've had enough of your attitude. I've been patient, I've been understanding, because the truth is I don't know what you're going through. I've never had to do physical therapy. I've never had to wonder since my career started if I'd lose it and never get it back. I don't know how you feel but I am _here_ for you. No matter what you need, day or night, I've made it clear I'm here because I love you. I am _not_ your punching bag, though. I'm not a doormat for you to walk all over. You snap at me, sometimes I don't hear from you all day, and now you're mad because I want to stop and see my sister and niece and nephew for three or four days? Tell me something, Finn. Are you mad because you'll miss me or because you think you can yell and snap at me and I'll keep my mouth shut? Because if that's all I am for you then we have a big problem because I'm nobodies doormat. Not even yours."

Ozzy is breathing heavy by the time he's done and Finn can't even seem to speak, he just sits there staring at Ozzy, apparently stunned by his outburst. That's okay. Ozzy definitely needs some time to cool down, especially since Finn's attitude has been bothering him for awhile.

"You know what? I think you should just go. I need time to cool down. I don't want to say anything else and end up saying something I can't take back."

That seemed to snap Finn out of his silence. He stood up and started to walk around the coffee table toward Ozzy but thought better of it and stayed where he was "But- but you're leaving tomorrow. I was going to spend the night and-"

"No," Ozzy cut him off, shaking his head "I'd rather you just left. I'm really fucking angry right now. I've been so patient, Finn. So patient. I can't sit back anymore and let you treat me like that. Maybe you don't even realize you're being an ass, in which case you should probably go home and think about every conversation we've had over the past few weeks. Maybe you'll figure it out."

Finn is quiet for a long time, his eyes on Ozzy's face like he's studying him to see how serious he is. Ozzy stares back, refusing to look away because he's dead serious and he wants to make sure Finn understands that. Ozzy has never been anyone's verbal punching bag and he wasn't going to start now.

"I'm sorry," Finn finally whispered. He looked lost, like he was in shock, like he truly didn't realize he'd done anything wrong "Do you- do you really want me to leave? We can't talk about this?"

"We can," Ozzy answered "Just not right now. I'm exhausted, I've got an early flight tomorrow, and I'm angry like I said. I need to cool off. We can talk when I get back."

Finn opened his mouth like he was going to protest but quickly shut it again, probably seeing on Ozzy's face that he didn't want to hear it- not right now. So he nodded instead and started for the door to put on his trainers and grab his bag that he brought "Have a good trip. I- I'm sorry."

Ozzy nodded then watched as Finn left and walked to his car. He shut the door behind him and locked up, making sure all the lights are off before he goes upstairs. It wasn't much after nine but he was going to bed. He was hurt, angry, sad. If he could fall asleep right away he could forget everything for at least a little while.

Unfortunately he didn't fall asleep right away. He didn't fall asleep at all.

  
~~~

  
Finn spent the whole next day in his bedroom just laying in bed and thinking about everything that happened the night before. He thought about Ozzy and everything he said to him and wondered if he was right? Had he been lashing out at his boyfriend and other people he loved? Had he been a complete jerk without even realizing it? Had he been so consumed in his own problems that he couldn't see what was right in front of him?

After wallowing in bed all day, he decided to call Rory after dinner and see if his brother couldn't give him some perspective and advice.

"Finny!! What's up little bro?" Rory answered the phone cheerfully as usual.

"Hey, Rory," Finn paused for a moment to clear his throat "Do you think Anna would mind if you came out to the pub for a bit? I-I need to talk to you and I thought we could have some pints."

Rory is silent for a minute and Finn isn't sure if he was simply signing to his wife or trying to figure out right then and there what was wrong with Finn "Sure, Finn. The usual place?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I can be there in half an hour," Rory said.

"Alright. Thanks, Rory."

"It's no problem, Finny. I'm always here when you need me. See you soon, yeah?"

Finn agreed then hung up the phone so he could grab a quick shower and get dressed to go meet his brother at the pub. He walked in there exactly thirty-one minutes later and saw Rory just sitting down in a booth in the back with two pints of beer.

"Hey. Thanks for coming," Finn said as he reached the booth.

"Of course," Rory stood up and hugged him tight, his smell so familiar to Finn that it made him feel calm and at ease.

"I didn't take you away from anything did I?" Finn asked as he sat down.

"Nope. You know Anna adores you. I told her where I was going and all she cared about was that you were okay. When it comes to family, Anna will always encourage me to help in any way I can," Rory said.

"Yeah," Finn smiled "You married well. You're really lucky."

"I know it!" Rory grinned so wide it made Finn laugh. He was like the cat who caught the canary. "So. What's on your mind little brother?"

Finn sighed and took a long drink from his beer, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth afterward "Have I been a real dick lately?"

"Oh absolutely," Rory said immediately, lifting his own pint for a sip while nodding his head.

"Jesus!" Finn snorted "Tell me how you really feel why don't you?"

Rory shrugged and gave Finn a half smile "I always do don't I?"

"That's true," Finn pushed his beer mat around, picking at the corner with his thumbnail "The fact that you answered so quickly and unequivocally makes me think I've been even worse than I thought."

"Well you want the uncensored truth right?" Rory asked. When Finn nodded, his brother continued "There have been moments you've been pretty bad. You've been constantly snapping at everyone and being a real jerk. Next time it happened with me I planned to put you in your place. Seems somebody beat me to it and that's why you called me."

"Yeah," Finn looked down at his hands while he spoke "I was at Ozzy's last night. He left for L.A. this morning. He'll be gone for over a week for work. We were supposed to spend last night together but I really screwed that up and he told me to leave."

Rory nodded slowly and took his time taking a drink of beer "What happened?"

"I was being a jerk again," Finn sighed "He told me he'd be gone a bit longer than originally planned because he decided to stop in New York on the way back to see his family. I blew up because it caught me off guard and I didn't want him to be gone longer. He got so angry. He said he was done being patient. He wasn't going to sit back and be my punching bag. Rory...how could I get so consumed in my own problems that I didn't even see I was being an arsehole to the man I love? To my whole family?"

Rory sat back, his hand still around his pint glass, and sighed "Don't beat yourself up too much, kid. You've been going through a lot and I know you're scared. Yeah, you've been an arsehole. What's important now is what you're going to do about it?"

"I'm going to apologize obviously. I would never want to hurt any of you intentionally. It's definitely not like me to be snapping at people all the time," Finn responded passionately.

"I know that, Finny. Apologizing is one thing but are you going to do something to change the way you've been acting? Are you going to be more self aware? Are you going to deal with the underlying issues that are making you behave the way you've been behaving? I don't think apologizing is enough in this case," Rory said.

Finn looked at his brother thoughtfully for a minute, his head tilted to the side and his teeth biting into his bottom lip as he took in everything his brother said "What do you mean by underlying issues?"

Rory took some pretzels from the bowl on the table and munched on them a bit "You said yourself that behaviour isn't like you. You have a serious injury, you had surgery, now you're going through rigorous physical therapy while not knowing if you'll still have a career at the end of it. That's some pretty heavy shit for anyone to deal with and no matter how mature you are, you're still only nineteen. Maybe a bit of help dealing with the fear and anxiety isn't a bad thing."

"Help dealing with it?" Finn wasn't sure what he meant at first. When it clicked for him, he looked at his brother with his mouth hanging open "Do you mean a Doctor? A psychologist?"

"Why not?" Rory shrugged and chomped down on another pretzel "Don't tell me you're like people a hundred years ago who thought seeing a psychologist meant you were 'crazy'?"

"Of course I don't think that," Finn scoffed "I just-" He paused to gather his words "I guess I just never thought I'd need one."

"Maybe you should think about it," Rory pushed his pint glass to the side so he could lay his forearms on the table and lean over close to Finn "I'll tell you something not even Dad or Pop knows. I see someone sometimes. A psychologist."

"Really??" Finn looked at his brother in shock. He had no idea. No clue at all "For how long?"

"Ten years at least," Rory told him, keeping his voice low so nobody would hear them. They were right in the back so it was unlikely but they could never be too careful.

"Ten years?!?!" Finn whisper yelled "But- but why? Did something happen?"

"No. Not really," Rory shook his head "When I made first team with Arsenal and people started to know who I was, it got a bit crazy. Like with you now. Everywhere I went my picture was being taken, I was being written about all the time, it was like everybody wanted something from me. Then Anna and I broke up for a few years and I didn't handle that well so when we got back together I was talking to her and I just felt so overwhelmed with it all. For years I felt all this pressure and didn't do anything about it. She suggested I talk to somebody who doesn't know me, someone who could give me some perspective and maybe show me ways to deal with the stress of such a high profile career. I gave it a shot and ten years later I'm still going."

Finn sat silently for a few moments, still kind of in shock over everything his brother just told him. If he was honest with himself, it made sense. As much as he wasn't someone who opened up to people a lot, he had to admit it made sense to talk to someone who doesn't know you, someone who has no preconceptions about you, someone who will tell you things straight up and not be worried you're going to be mad at them for being honest.

"So...you just talk? You're not on any medication or anything?" Finn asked his brother.

"Nope, no medication. I just get to vent and talk things over with him. He gives me some good ideas on how to handle different things that pop up in my life. That's it. It's really great, Finn. I think it would help you a lot. You haven't really talked to me, you haven't talked to Dad or Pop either. They think you're talking to Ozzy, which is great, but you're probably not talking enough. You need someone who can help you with the fear and anxiety over not knowing what will happen with your career and the anger you feel because this happened to you. Right now you're not dealing with it and it's making you lash out."

"Maybe- maybe you're right. Maybe I should give it a shot. Maybe it'll be easier to talk to someone who doesn't know me." Finn admitted.

"I think so," Rory agreed "You don't open up easily but when it's a stranger who's paid to listen and keep your secrets, you'd be surprised at how good it feels to open up once you get going."

Finn took in a deep breath and let it out slowly "Okay. I'm going to think about it. If I decide to do this, will you get me an appointment with the Doctor you see?"

"Absolutely," Rory nodded "If for some reason it's a conflict of interest or something to see brothers, I'll have him recommend someone good for you to see. I think I'll go ahead and do that anyway. That way it'll all be set up if you decide to go ahead with it and you won't have to wait a long time. If you decide not to go ahead, then no harm done. You won't have to call for an appointment."

"Okay," Finn agreed "I-I think I want to talk to Ozzy about it and get his opinion. If he ever speaks to me again."

"He's going to speak to you again, Finny," Rory chuckled "He's in love with you. He just doesn't want to be treated like crap. I say good for him for sticking up for himself."

Finn nearly choked on his beer as he reached across the table to swat at his brother's arm "I'd say you should be on my side but yeah, I'm glad he put me in my place too. It kills me that I treated him the way I did. It hurts even more that I didn't even realize I was doing it. I was too caught up in my own head. I can't let that happen again. I can't! I'm not that guy that abuses his own partner. I'm not!"

"Hey," Rory reached out and grabbed Finn's hand "Finn. Hey. Look at me. I know that's not who you are. You're a wonderful person who is very kind and caring. Everyone, including Ozzy, knows that. You're hurting right now and you don't know how to deal with it but you're committed to learning how. This is just a little bump in the road. Call Ozzy and have a good, long, serious talk. I promise you everything will be okay."

"I hope so," Finn said worriedly "I don't want to lose the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Sap," Rory grinned at him across the table "You won't lose him. I have eyes. He's just as in love with you as you are with him. Now, how about another pint? I got the first round. Next one's on you!"

Finn laughed and stood up from the booth, picking their empty glasses up on the way. He brought them up to the bar and ordered two more of the same. While he waited he got out his phone to text Ozzy.

**Can we talk when you have time? I know you're really busy and maybe not ready to talk to me. I have something important to talk to you about. I could use your advice. Let me know when you have time. I don't care about the time difference. I'll answer the phone no matter what time it is here. I love you.**

When he was done he put his phone back in his pocket and all he could do is pray Ozzy would be willing to talk to him.

  
~~~

  
Finn went home after having a few pints with Rory. Alexa was there when he got in, having dropped by to return some things she borrowed from Nori. Since he hadn't really spent much time with his best mate lately, he asked her to come up to his room with him to talk and she easily agreed and followed him up after they grabbed some snacks from the kitchen.

"Jesus. Ryanne is seriously the cutest baby I've ever seen. Just like Harry with her pouty lips and huge dimples," Alexa gushed as she followed Finn into his room and shut the door behind her.

"Yeah," Finn chuckled and sat down on his bed, getting comfortable and opening a bag of crisps "She's pretty sweet. Pop makes good babies."

Alexa nodded and dug her hand into the bag of crisps, taking out a handful for herself "So. What's with the face?"

Finn lifted his eyes from the bag of crisps and raised an eyebrow at his friend "What face?"

"Your brooding face. What's happened?" Alexa asked with a mouthful of chips. Finn guessed since they have been friends since they were five, he has to put up with things like this girl chewing with her mouth open.

"I just-" Finn sighed "I need to apologize to you."

"For what?" Alexa asked, then promptly let out a loud burp.

"For Christ's sake," Finn couldn't help but laugh "Is this how you behave on your dates? Because it would explain why you haven't had one in awhile."

Alexa responded by sticking her tongue out (which was full of chewed up crisps) then dissolving into a fit of giggles when Finn gave her a disgusted look.

"Never mind about my dates! What are you apologizing for?" Alexa asked when she stopped giggling.

So Finn told her the whole story. Everything that happened with Ozzy the night before and the talk he just had at the pub with Rory "I haven't been the easiest person to be around lately. I just want you to know I'm truly sorry if I've treated you the same way as I've treated everyone else. I'm sure I have and you don't deserve that. You're my best mate. We've been through most of our lives together so far and I hope to go through the rest of my life with you right by my side."

"Awww Finny!" Alexa tossed the crisps aside and fell into his arms "Of course you will. We're going to grow old as besties and we're going to raise our kids together and all that good stuff. Sure you've been a bit of an arse lately but I love you anyway. I whole heartedly accept your apology."

"Thank you," Finn kissed the top of her head then rested his cheek there "Now if only I can get Ozzy to forgive me."

"He will," Alexa said, no doubt at all in her voice "He loves you like crazy. I want a guy like him someday. Maybe he has a friend I can sink my claws into."

Finn snorted "Not if you behave around them the way you do around me."

"Excuse you!" Alexa sat up and glared at him "I am a perfect lady around my dates. I only burp and fart around you because I know you'll always love me no matter what."

Finn shook his head and grinned at his friend "That's true."

His phone dinged then and he took it out of his pocket to find a text back from Ozzy.

**I'm crazy busy all day today. We can talk when I get back to my hotel. Might be after midnight here.**

"It's Ozzy," Finn showed Alexa the text and she grinned.

"See? He's willing to talk! You'll work it out. Midnight in L.A. is eight in the morning here. Tell him you'll wake up at eight and he can call anytime after that." Alexa suggested.

Finn nodded because it was a good plan.

**That's 8am here. I'll be up. You can call me when you get to your hotel and get settled.**

Finn sent the text then waited for Ozzy to respond, holding his breath the whole time.

**Okay. Skype?**

**Yes**! Finn would be quite happy with Skype. He needed to see his boyfriend when he apologized for everything.

**Okay**

Finn thought that would be the last text from his boyfriend but then another one came in that gave him all the hope in the world.

**I love you, too, Finn.**

Maybe it would all be okay after all.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everybody!
> 
> Here's what I hope is a cute little chapter for you all. Leave comments and kudos if you can, so I know how I'm doing. Feedback is always appreciated! I hope you like it :)

 

 

Ozzy was exhausted when he got back to his hotel suite after midnight. He had photo shoots and interviews all day, then after having dinner and saying goodnight to Jacob, he went to a party that was thrown by his record label. All the labels artists were there and Ozzy had to admit he enjoyed talking to everyone and seeing some people he hasn't seen for a long time.

Now that he was back in his hotel room and relieved Kara so she could go across the hall to her own room, he was nervous. It was half past twelve now and he knew Finn was awake and expecting his call. He was nervous because he didn't know what to expect. Now that he had time to cool down, he wasn't angry anymore, just sad. He missed Finn and hated the way they left things but he knew he had to be strong. Unless Finn was going to do something about his behaviour, Ozzy couldn't cave. That's not who he was and it certainly wasn't the example he wanted to set for his son.

After changing into shorts and a t-shirt, he grabbed his laptop and got into his bed, making himself comfortable before he called Finn. He checked on Jacob in the next room before he came in and got into bed and the little boy was sound asleep so Ozzy knew he shouldn't be interrupted.

After taking a deep breath, he logged into Skype and called Finn, his heart beating fast in his chest while he waited for his boyfriends face to appear on screen. When it did, he was holding his sister Ryanne in his arms and feeding her a bottle.

"Hi," Finn said quietly, smiling softly into the camera "Sorry about this. My Pop had an early meeting this morning so I said I'd watch Ryanne while my Dad takes a shower."

Ozzy couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. Not only did he love babies but he loved this _particular_ baby and he loved that man that was holding her so carefully and lovingly while he gazed down at her adoringly as she drank from her bottle "Don't apologize. I'm happy to have Miss Ryanne here with us. How's she doing?"

Finn smiled down at his sister and carefully wiped some milk from her chin with a cloth "She's very good. The twins will likely be awake any minute so I told Dad to get his shower and I'd feed the little princess. We like having our time together, don't we darling?" Finn cooed in a baby voice, making Ozzy's stomach swoop and his heart melt "I'm her favourite obviously."

"Obviously," Ozzy chuckled and shook his head fondly.

Finn cleared his throat and looked up into the camera, looking kind of nervous "Thank you for calling me. I wasn't sure you would. God knows I hurt you enough to make you want to stay away."

"Finn..." Ozzy whispered, looking down at his lap and swallowing thickly "I don't- I don't want to stay away. I love you. So much. I just don't like the way you've been acting lately."

"I know. There's a lot of people here who feel the same way as you do," Finn said sadly, adjusting Ryanne in his arms so he could burp her. "That's what I want-"

Finn stops talking when there's a knock on his door and his Dad comes in. "Hi, Bub. How's she doing?" Niall asked as he walked toward the bed. When he got close enough he must have seen Ozzy on the screen because he leaned down so he would be in the camera's view "Hi, Ozzy. How's L.A. going?"

"Hi, Niall," Ozzy smiled at Finn's Dad "Good so far. Really busy."

Niall snorted and reached to take the baby from Finn "I remember what it was like for Harry. It's going on one in the morning over there. You must be exhausted. Don't keep your boyfriend on the computer all night, Finn. He needs his rest."

Finn rolled his eyes and sighed as he passed his Dad the now empty bottle "I think Ozzy can decide for himself how long he stays awake for. I was just about to burp her, by the way. You should go do that."

"Ya know," Niall made a face "I know when I'm being dismissed and if it weren't for the fact that this little one needs to be burped and the possessed devils will be awake soon, I'd sit my arse right down on this bed out of spite and not let you talk"

"Dad," Finn groaned and hid his face in his hands.

"Yeah, yeah," Niall winked into the camera to let Ozzy know he was just teasing. Finn couldn't see it, of course, and continued to moan and grumble until his Dad finally left the room.

"Sorry about that," Finn peeked at Ozzy through his fingers.

"It's fine," Ozzy laughed "I like your Dad."

"Anyway. I know this isn't ideal. I'd prefer to do this in person but I've just felt physically sick with the way we left things and I don't think I could wait almost two weeks for us to sort this out. There's just some things I really want to say to you, that I want to tell you, if that's okay with you?" Finn asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

It was definitely okay with him. To be honest, he'd been feeling pretty sick over how they left things as well. He stayed wide awake during the whole flight, wondering if he did the right thing in asking Finn to leave? Wondering if he couldn't have cooled down enough for them to talk it out right then and there?

Ozzy cleared his throat and nodded his head "Yeah. Go ahead. I'm listening."

Finn smiled "Okay. Fuck. Okay."

Ozzy stares at his boyfriend, a slow grin coming upon his face. He chuckles and Finn looks up from where he was looking down at his hands and looks at him with a bewildered look "What?"

"Nothing," Ozzy shakes his head but he can't erase the grin on his face.

"Come onnnnnn," Finn whined "Tell me! Please?"

"Jesus Christ!" Ozzy laughed incredulously "You pout worse than Jacob does. I just laughed because you don't curse a whole lot so when you do it always gets me because you're so posh even when you say fuck."

"Oh," Finn grinned sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders in a 'what are ya gonna do' manner.

"Anyway. Sorry. I've gotten you off track. Go ahead." Ozzy urged his boyfriend.

"Right," Finn nodded firmly "God. I wish I could hold your hand or at least be touching you when I say all this." He stopped to take a breath then looked straight into the camera, straight into Ozzy's eyes "First I want to tell you I'm sorry. I haven't treated you the way you deserve to be treated over the past few weeks. I got caught up in my head and I've been really hard to deal with. I've been a real arsehole toward you and my friends and family. I'm sincerely sorry for it. These aren't just words to me. I really am sorry. I love you so much, Oz. So, so, much."

Ozzy nodded his head slightly because he couldn't speak to respond to Finn. He was too choked up, too overcome with emotion. He could tell Finn was being honest with him. He could tell he truly meant his apology and never want to hurt him or anyone else in his life. He knew that anyway though. He knew Finn wasn't behaving like himself lately. The problem still remained. Is he going to do anything about it? Or remain in denial that what happened to him is affecting him more than he first thought?

"I hope you know that the man you first met is the real me. Who I was when we were just friends getting to know each other, who I was when we dated for three months, who I was when we got back together after breaking up for a month, that's me. The short tempered, snappy, angry guy...that's not me. Please tell me you know that?" Finn asked, a pleading tone to his voice.

Ozzy nodded his head vigorously and cleared his throat because he knew if he tried to talk without doing that, nothing but a croak would come out "Yes! Of course I know that, Finn. You're still the same guy. You haven't changed. You're just going through a lot right now and you're not dealing with it."

Finn ran a hand through his hair and nodded "Yeah. I know that now. I thought about everything you said and last night I met with Rory because I know he will always tell me the truth and never sugar coat anything. He flat out told me I was an arsehole."

"You have been, yeah," Ozzy said, laughing when Finn scrunched up his nose at him.

"I know, I know. Let's not rub it in now," Finn joked "You know, my brother said something to me that I can't stop thinking about. I want to know what you think."

"Of course," Ozzy sat up a bit and stuffed another pillow behind his back. He sensed things were getting even more serious right now and he wanted to make sure he was giving Finn his full attention, not sinking down into the pillows and falling asleep on him.

"Well," Finn licked his lips nervously "He suggested I see someone professionally. A psychologist who can help me deal with the fear and anxiety I'm having about my career, the anger I'm still feeling that this happened to me. I was in denial that I was feeling all these things. I didn't have to snap out of it and face it until you got angry with me and asked me to leave. Until my brother sat right in front of me and told me point blank that I need help. Now that I'm ready to admit that I need help dealing with these feelings that I have, I think my brother is right- I need to see a professional. Do you-what do you think? Do you think it's a good idea?"

Ozzy really couldn't hold back anymore. He felt his eyes well up with tears that quickly fell onto his cheeks, and he quickly had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep an ugly sob from coming out. Honestly he was just so happy! So relieved! It had been so easy for him to see that Finn was struggling. He'd seen the panic attacks, the sleepless nights, the constant worrying. He knew Harry and Niall could see Finn was struggling too but saying something to him was impossible when he was so closed off. So unwilling to hear it.

"Pet?" Finn's soft voice reached him through the speakers "Are you okay? What-? Did I say something wrong? Talk to me. Please."

Ozzy shook his head and took his hand away from his mouth to wipe at his cheeks, "No," He forced himself to speak "No, you didn't say anything wrong. I've just been so worried about you, baby. So worried that you haven't been dealing with what's been bothering you. I just want you to be okay. Now that you're willing to get help...I'm just so happy and relieved. To answer your question, YES! I definitely think seeing a Doctor is a good idea."

Finn smiled brightly at him, a small laugh escaping him "I'm so glad! Ever since Rory brought it up last night I've felt this...I don't know, weight? Lifted off my shoulders. Like, knowing that there are ways to handle this anxiety I'm constantly having is just such a relief to me. I feel so stupid for letting it go on for this long."

"No. Don't feel stupid, baby. You've been through so much. You got stuck in your own head for awhile but you've pulled out of it, you're going to get some help. That makes you pretty damn smart in my book," Ozzy told his boyfriend, a feeling of pride taking over him.

"Thank you." Finn whispered "You've been so good to me through all of this. I've been leaning on you because when I'm with you you make me feel so happy. I feel like myself for the most part. I guess that's why I freaked out so much when you said you'd be gone for a bit longer than expected. I didn't know how to cope without you. I was scared. I'm so sorry, Oz. You know I want you to see your family right?"

"Yes," Ozzy laughed "It's okay, Finn. I get it, I really do. I'm sorry I had to be so harsh with you. I just needed to let you know I wasn't going to stand around while you treated me like crap. That's not who I am and it's not the example I want to set for my son."

"I'm glad you were harsh with me. It woke me the fuck up. It got me to see I was being a jerk. I love that you're strong and you stand up for yourself. It's one of the things that attracts me to you. Also," Finn bit his lip and looked down at his lap for a second before looking up again with a sheepish look on his face "It's kind of hot when you get angry. When you get all protective and go into papa bear mode."

Ozzy burst out laughing, hoping that it wouldn't wake up Jacob. He could feel his cheeks get a bit hot as well, probably a combination of being complimented by his very hot boyfriend and just feeling outright happy.

"I like when you laugh. You have a great laugh and smile. Jacob smiles just like you, ya know?" Finn said, a small grin on his face "He'll be handsome just like his Papa when he grows up."

"Are you trying to embarrass me?" Ozzy shook his head and smiled.

"I'm just telling you the truth. These are the things you deserve to hear from me. Not me snapping and being a jerk. I hope you can forgive me for that?" Finn asked, his expression turning serious again.

"I've already forgiven you, baby," Ozzy said softly, raising his hand up to touch the screen of his laptop, wishing so badly that he could touch his boyfriend "We're okay. As long as you understand I won't put up with being treated that way again. I won't ever be a doormat."

"I do," Finn nodded earnestly "I completely understand. I love you so much, Ozzy. Thank you."

"I love you, too, Finn. I wish I could hug you right now," Ozzy said sadly.

"I know. Me too, Pet. Soon though. I was actually thinking last night, after I went to bed and couldn't fall asleep. I have three days in between PT sessions next week. I was thinking maybe I could meet you in New York? I'd only really have two days there with flying and all but I know I'll be dying to see you and Jacob by the time a week is up and I'd really love to meet Rachel in person. What do you think?" Finn asked hopefully.

"I think I fucking love you! That's what I think!" Ozzy said through his happy laughter.

"Good! Because I fucking love you too!" Finn said, his laughter just as happy as Ozzy's.

"I should probably get to bed. I have another busy day tomorrow," Ozzy said regretfully. Sometimes he hated being responsible "I'll look at my schedule tomorrow and I'll have my PA call you to get yours so she can book you a ticket okay?"

"I think I can pay for my own ticket, Pet," Finn laughed "I did sign a multi-million pound football contract a few months ago."

"I know. I want to do it, though. Please baby?" Ozzy asked softly, biting his lip and playing with his lip ring, knowing full well what it did to his boyfriend.

"Jesus," Finn groaned and swiped a hand down over his face. Then he quickly turned the tables on Ozzy "You better make time for Skype sex later or I'll have to play by myself. You wouldn't want that...would you?"

Ozzy's jaw dropped and Finn winked at him, making arousal build in his stomach. He certainly didn't have time for anything right now, though, so he tried his best to get himself under control and playfully glared at his boyfriend "Can I have my PA contact you or not?"

"Yeah, Pet, that's fine," Finn laughed "I'll let you get to bed. Say hi to Jacob for me, yeah? I love you."

"I will. I love you, too," Ozzy smiled softly at his boyfriend "Have a good day. Kiss those twins for me and Ryanne too!"

Once they hung up and Ozzy turned out the light, it took him awhile to fall asleep. It didn't matter though. Things were back on track with Finn and he was happy. Being tired tomorrow was worth it.

 

~~~

  
After Finn hung up with Ozzy, he grabbed a quick shower then headed downstairs for some breakfast. His Dad was in the kitchen eating his breakfast with Ryanne next to him in her swing, sucking on the ear of a stuffed toy. The twins were outside in the backyard playing and more than likely Kate was still in bed.

When his Dad saw him enter the kitchen, he put the IPad he was reading from down on the table and smiled at him while pushing his glasses up with his index finger "You look happy, Bub."

"I am," Finn couldn't help but grin, "I had a good talk with Ozzy."

His Dad hummed and picked up a piece of toast from his plate, his grin mischievous "I bet you did."

"What?" Finn looked at his dad, confused "What's that look for?"

"Nothing!" His Dad looked at him innocently, his blue eyes wide behind his glasses.

Finn kept staring at his Dad until it finally clicked in his brain what his Dad was going on with, then his expression turned horrified "Dad!! Oh my God! We weren't having sex for God's sake! We were talking!"

His Dad put down his toast and started laughing "Don't look so horrified. Sex is normal ya know. In many different forms. I mean, there were times I didn't see your Pop for three months when he was on tour. Skype came in handy."

"Oh my God," Finn groaned and covered his face with his hands "I don't need to hear this. I really don't. Ozzy and I were _just_ talking. We had a fight the night before he left for L.A. and neither one of us was feeling very good about it. We needed to talk and work things out."

"Oh," His Pop's expression changed immediately and he sat up straighter, pulling out the chair at the head of the table and motioning for Finn to sit down "I'm sorry. Are you okay? Everything's worked out now?"

Finn nodded, the smile on his face reappearing "Yeah. Everything is fine. I'm going to go to New York for a couple days next week. I want to meet his Sister and her kids and he's stopping in New York to see them on the way back from L.A. so..."

"That's great," His Dad smiled at him "I'm proud of you. Whatever you fought about, you discussed it and worked it out. That's something a lot of people your age and younger have trouble doing. Immaturity and pride often get in the way. Hell, it can for people my age too!"

"I know. You and Pop are always telling us to communicate. This fight was all my fault and I knew I needed to fix it. All your advice came in handy to me so thanks for that," Finn smiled at his Dad.

"Your fault?" His Dad looked at him with his brow furrowed "What happened?"

Finn dipped his head, feeling a bit ashamed of himself "I haven't...exactly been nice lately."

His Dad's eyebrows rose and he pursed his lips together like he was trying to keep a smile from coming across his face. When he composed himself, he cleared his throat and nodded thoughtfully at Finn "I suppose you've been a bit grumpy, yeah."

Finn snorted and gave his Dad an incredulous look "That's putting it a bit mildly, Dad. I've been an arsehole for weeks, to everybody."

His Dad looked at him, his lips pursed again as he tried not to smile or laugh. "Let me guess- Ozzy called you out on it?"

"Yeah," Finn huffed out a laugh, which apparently was all the permission his Dad needed to finally release his own laughter "He did. Pretty spectacularly. It was the kick in the arse I needed to get my head on straight. I've been so caught up in everything that's happened with my injury, Dad. I've been worrying myself sick about whether or not I'll still have a career, to the point where I've had panic attacks. I've been angry that this happened to me and I've been short tempered and not fun to be around."

"I'm sorry," His Dad said quietly, his demeanour changing and becoming quite serious "Your Pop and I...we knew you were having a hard time. We knew you weren't dealing with everything very well. We just- we wanted to help you somehow but we didn't want to push you either. We know you respect your privacy and you don't always like to talk about things. Maybe...maybe we should have tried harder this time? Not waited for you to come to us. We should have done something more for you."

"Dad!" Finn sat back and looked at his father, horrified by what he was hearing " _No_. No, this is not your fault. This isn't anybody's fault but my own. You _know_ me. You know if I'm pushed it only makes me withdraw further. There's absolutely nothing more you could have done. I need help dealing with what happened but I needed to realize that on my own. It took my boyfriend getting angry with me for me to snap out of it and come to that realization. Please don't blame yourself, okay? It would only upset me and I'm really happy today."

His Dad laughed quietly and reached an arm out to pull Finn close to him so he could hug him with one arm. He kissed the top of Finn's head and let his lips linger there as he whispered "I love you, Bub. With everything I have in me. If you're happy, I'm happy."

Finn sat comfortably in his father's embrace for a moment, closing his eyes and enjoying the safe feeling that automatically came over him. It was a feeling he's felt many times in his life, especially as a child. Despite how exuberant and loud is father always is, there's always been this calm about him as well. He was unflappable and Finn always felt safe with him. Always. He loved his father very much and knew how extremely lucky he was to have him in his life.

"I had a long talk with Rory last night," Finn said when he eventually pulled away from his Dad "He suggested I talk to a psychologist. Someone that can teach me how to deal with my anger and anxiety. Someone who doesn't know me. Someone who will simply listen and make observations. I think it's a good idea. I'm going to do it."

"That does sound like a good idea," His Dad smiled at him "You have so much going on in your head right now. If there's someone out there who can help you figure it all out, maybe channel that anger and anxiety into something positive...I say go for it."

"Thanks, Dad," Finn smiled sincerely at his father, "Just in case I haven't been clear- I really am sorry for being such a jerk the past few weeks. I'm sure I haven't been easy to live with."

"Welllllll," His Dad gave him a look "There may have been a time or two I told your Pop you needed a good smack in the head."

Finn laughed loudly and shook his head at his Dad. He couldn't really be mad at him. Someone probably should have smacked him in the head a long time ago. Maybe a lot of his bad behaviour could have been avoided.

"You know..." His Dad began talking again, his eyes drifting to the patio doors where he could look out and see the twins playing "If you're doing a little apology tour, I can think of two little boys who have been missing their big brother a little bit."

Finn followed his Dad's gaze outside and his heart sunk when he realized his Dad was probably right. He's been home. He doesn't spend every moment at Ozzy's house. When he was home, though, he probably didn't seem very approachable to the almost seven year olds. If he was always grumpy and closed off, they probably stayed away from him for fear of upsetting him.

"Fuck," Finn whispered, his throat clogging up with emotion "I-I can't even remember the last time I just hung out with Matty and Charlie. It was before I got injured. God. They must hate me."

"They wouldn't miss you if they hated you, Bub," His Dad smiled sadly at him, "They just don't understand what's going on, not like we do. They're too young."

"God," Finn groaned and rested his head on top of his arms on the table "I've been so terrible. I need to go out and talk to them right now. I need to make it up to them and make sure they know I love them."

His Dad smiled and reached out to squeeze Finn's arm "I think they'd love it if you spent the day with them. They're in a footie league for the Summer. For ages five to seven. Summer is almost over now and you haven't been to any of their matches. Why don't you come with us this afternoon? They have a match and I know they'd be so happy if you came. Having their famous football star brother there would more than make it up to them I think."

Finn nodded firmly and stood up from his chair at the table "I'll definitely be there. I'm staying home all day so just tell me when we're leaving. I'm going outside to see them now."

"Have fun," His Dad smiled at him as he walked toward the patio doors.

When he got outside, he started walking over to where the twins were playing with their remote control planes "Hi, guys!"

Charlie and Matty both turned toward him at the same time, the sun shining down on their blonde hair almost making it look white. He smiled at them and their faces lit up, which made him sad in a way. It shouldn't take him smiling at them to reassure them that it's okay for them to come running at him. They never used to hesitate before. He really fucked up.

"Hi, Finny!" Both boys said at the same time as they ran over to him with big smiles on their faces.

"Hey. Come here," Finn held his arms out and embraced his brothers as soon as they ran to him and wrapped their arms around his waist. He held them tight and bent down to kiss the top of both of their heads. He really did love them so much. Sometimes he'll think about where they might have ended up if his parents hadn't adopted them. It physically hurts to think of them not being taken care of somewhere, not being happy.

"Can I talk to you guys for a bit?" Finn asked when he finally let the twins go. They nodded their heads so he led them over to the large patio where there was a swing and the three of them sat down, Finn getting the swing moving slowly back and forth with his foot "I've missed you guys. I'm sorry I haven't been around."

Charlie, who was cuddled into Finn's right side and always the one to take charge, looked up at Finn with wide, innocent blue eyes "Papa said you were sad after you got your knee fixed. He said you couldn't play footie for a little while and that you had to do exercises to make your knee strong again and it made it hurt really bad."

Finn took in a deep breath through his nose and silently thanked his Pop for finding a way to explain things to the twins that made sense to them, "Pop is right. That's all true. I've been very grumpy because I miss playing footie and sometimes my knee does hurt really bad. I've been mean and not very nice to be around and I'm very sorry for that. I want you to know that I love you guys very much and I missed you both very much over the past few weeks. I hope you can forgive me and that we can start hanging out again. You're my best buddies ya know?"

"Can we hang out today?" Matty asked, looking up at him with the same wide, innocent blue eyes as Charlie's.

"Yes indeed!" Finn grinned at his brother "I was really hoping we would."

"Will you come to our footie match later?" Charlie asked, his voice getting louder as his excitement grew.

"Yep! Dad already invited me. I can't wait to see you both playing. I'm sorry I missed your other matches. I bet Pop recorded them all, though, so you can count on me watching every single one of them as soon as I can," Finn told his brothers, his heart warming as he watched the smiles grow on their faces.

"Yay!!" Charlie and Matty both yelled, then they jumped off the swing and started jumping up and down together.

Finn watched on, laughing as he watched his brothers celebrating. When he looked toward the patio doors he saw his Dad there drinking his coffee, a huge smile on his face. He gave Finn a thumbs up then disappeared further back into the kitchen out of sight.

"Alright!" Finn stood up and got the twins attention "Who wants to go inside and get me a plane so I can play with you guys?"

"Me!!!" Charlie and Matty both screamed and took off for the door. As Finn watched them go he cringed and hoped Ryanne wasn't asleep in her swing because if she was, she wouldn't be for long and that meant his Dad would probably kill him.

 

~~~

  
Finn was already laughing before he opened the door to get out of the front seat of his Dad's SUV. The twins had taken off out of the backseat the moment their Dad stopped the car, running across the lot to where their Pop was waiting so they could tell him that Finny had come along to watch their match. As if their Dad hadn't already told them.

"Oh my God," Finn laughed as he caught his Dad's eye over the roof of the car "They're so cute I swear."

His Dad chuckled and opened the back door to get Ryanne out. Finn started across the lot to where the twins were talking their Pop's ear off. He didn't seem to mind.

"Hey, Pop," Finn managed to say over the twins excitement.

"Hi, love. It's good to see you here with us," His Pop grinned at him.

"We're gonna go tell our coach that Finny's here!" Charlie said excitedly, "Come on, Matty!"

"Be careful!" Harry called after them, shaking his head as he watched them running toward the pitch where the coach, some kids and some parents already were.

"I'm a dick," Finn groaned and slumped his body against his Pop's. "They're so bloody excited I'm here. I should have been here before now. I've probably scarred them for life."

His Pop wrapped him up in a hug and let out a loud bark of laughter "I think that's a bit dramatic, love. They're not scarred. They're happy you're here now and have probably forgotten all about everything else. It's a perk of being six."

"Hello family," Finn heard Rory's voice right before he felt his arms wrap around him from behind. He was now sandwiched in between his Pop and his Brother and he really didn't mind one bit. He could use the hug right now.

"Now I have all my boys here with me," Harry said, his voice sounding content.

"I'm not your boy. I'm your man," His Dad's voice sounded beside them and Finn groaned while Rory laughed, the vibrations in Rory's stomach coming through to Finn's back.

"There are a lot of children here today so try to control yourselves, yeah?" Rory told their parents when he stepped back from Finn.

"Ohhh my baby girl is here. Hello little one," Harry let go of him and reached for Ryanne in her car seat, kissing her chubby cheeks once he got her out.

"Apparently all of his boys being here means nothing when the youngest is here," Finn scoffed "Dad didn't even get a kiss this time."

"He'll get his kiss. I was getting to that. I'll make it an even better one since you brought it up," Harry grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh my God. Rory. Save me. Take me away from here. We don't know them. I'll change my name to O'Brien. You can adopt me," Finn said, acting horrified and turning away from his parents.

Rory wrapped his arm around Finn's shoulders and laughed, leading him away from their parents and toward the pitch "So. I've already been to these matches. Penny and Maddie play too. Everyone is sick of me by now. I'm all selfied out. Brace yourself though, because today will be your turn once all the kids and parents see you. It'll be autograph and selfie central."

Finn just laughed and shrugged "It's okay. They're little kids. I don't mind. The parents too. I mean, we couldn't play football and make the money we do if they didn't buy tickets to the matches."

"True enough," Rory said "It's good to see you here by the way. Smiling too! Does that mean you talked to Ozzy?"

"Yeah," Finn looked down at his feet to hide his smile "I did. We're okay. We had a long talk. He's really happy I'm getting help. I'm also going to meet him in New York next week. I have three days between PT sessions so it'll be a quick visit but I want to meet his family and I want to see him as soon as I can. I want to make sure he understands how sorry I am and how serious I am about dealing with this."

"That's awesome, Finn," Rory tightened the arm he had around him, hugging him closer for a minute "We'll talk more about this later. The twins are coming with their coach."

"Finny! Finny! This is our coach!" Charlie yelled as they got closer. Finn couldn't help but laugh at the fact that both Charlie and Matty had the poor guy by both hands.

"Yeah! His name is Coach Kelly!" Matty chimed in.

"Hello," Finn smiled at the coach when they stopped in front of him and Rory "I'm Finn. These little munchkin's brother."

"It's definitely good to meet you, Finn," Coach Kelly extracted his hand from Matty's to shake Finn's "Let me allow myself one fan girl moment and say I'm a fan. Sorry Rory."

Rory snorted and pretend glared at the coach "Whatever Shane." He turned to Finn "Shane is a Chelsea fan so apparently he's more excited to meet you than he was to meet me."

Finn laughed and poked Rory in the shoulder "Don't whine because the man has good taste. He's starting our brothers out on the right path and someday they will play for Chelsea."

"Pffff not me!" Charlie said with a bit of attitude "I'm playing for Manchester United!"

Both Finn's and Rory's jaws dropped and they stared at Charlie like he betrayed them "How do you even know anything about Manchester? We're an Arsenal/Chelsea household!" Finn said, his voice rising a bit.

"Papa watches Manchester matches all the time. He records them on the telly," Charlie said in a matter of fact tone.

Finn was speechless and if possible his eyes must have gotten wider and his jaw must have dropped another inch. When he turned to look at Rory, he saw the same expression staring back at him.

Of course their parents walk up right at that moment and Finn turns to look at his Pop, slowly shaking his head back and forth.

"...what?" Harry asks carefully, his hand that was rubbing Ryanne's back coming to a complete stop "What's happened? Why are you looking at me like that? Why is Rory looking at me like that?"

"Pop!" Finn said incredulously "All these years you've been cheering for Rory as he played for Arsenal. You cheered for me as I came up through the Chelsea Academy. Then when I made first team you said our house was only for Arsenal or Chelsea. Now we find out you've been recording Manchester United matches this whole time! Traitor!"

After a second of nothing happening, Finn watches as his Pop's eyes open wide and he fish mouths as he tries to find something to say while his Dad guffaws loudly and eventually is laughing so hard he's standing bent over with his hands on his knees.

"Daddyyyyy," Charlie whined "What are you laughing at?"

Of course their Dad was laughing too hard to answer so Rory steps in "He's laughing because we caught Pop in a little fib," Rory chuckled and stuck his tongue out at their Pop when he made an indignant noise.

"There was no fib!" Harry had to talk louder to be heard over Niall "I grew up watching Man U. You can't just expect me to stop supporting my childhood team. I only cheer for them when they're not playing either of you."

"Uh oh," Matty's voice cut in "I think you got Papa in trouble, Charlie."

Finn burst out laughing himself at this point and turned to Matty and Charlie, pulling them into his sides for a hug "Nobody's in trouble," He chuckled "We're just teasing Pop."

Harry immediately pouted and turned to Niall who was beginning to calm down, his hard laughter slowing down to giggles "Niall. Your children are being mean to me."

Of course that only got Niall laughing loudly again and he draped an arm over Harry's shoulders, pulling him close and kissing his cheek fondly "They're my children today are they? I suppose they'll be yours again when they do something brilliant?"

"Obviously!" Harry said, sticking his nose up in the air a bit, making Niall laugh again.

"It's okay, Niall," Coach Kelly spoke up, a look of amusement on his face "My wife and I have a toddler. He's always my child when he's throwing a tantrum."

Everyone laughed except for the twins who didn't know what was going on, then they all made their way over to the pitch where the twins joined Penny and Maddie in a game of tag with some other kids while they waited for the match to start.

Once it did, Finn's smile never left his face. The kids were aged five to seven so of course it wasn't a serious match. There were boys and girls and both teams and there weren't many rules, just the kids running back and forth, kicking the ball around and trying to put it in the goal. It was perfect as far as Finn was concerned. He loved seeing all the smiles on the kids faces, loved hearing their laughter, loved seeing the way they helped each other when one of them got knocked down by accident. It all reminded him of when he was the same age and playing in the same kind of summer league. Nothing was serious yet. It was all just fun.

Over in L.A it was still early in the morning but Finn texted the pictures and short video he took to Ozzy with a simple question "Do you think Jacob would like to play next Summer?"

The reply came later when the match was over and Finn was out with the twins, amongst all the kids, taking pictures with them and signing things for them if they asked. The parents were in on it, too, of course and Finn could honestly say he'd never get used to all the gushing people did over him. He was just a footie player, not a famous actor or singer like Ozzy. He might never get used to it but he was okay with it. If a picture with him made someone happy, he wasn't going to turn them down.

He didn't hear his phone ding at that time but later, when he was home and after he had a very loud dinner with his family, he opened his phone and saw the text Ozzy sent back. It was a video of Jacob and Finn could hear Ozzy's voice in the background.

"What do you think, Jakey? Do you want to play soccer in England next summer?"

On the video, Jacob's face lit up and he smiled right into the camera and said "Yes!! Can Finny take me? I want him to teach me."

Finn's heart melted and he had to struggle not to cry out of complete happiness because yeah, Finn would take Jacob to play footie, he'd teach him how to play, and anything else he wanted or needed from Finn for the rest of his life, Finn would be there. Always.

 

~~~

 

Finn found himself coming through customs at JFK airport in New York a week later. He only had a carry on bag with him so he skipped the baggage area and went straight outside to the curb after he texted Kara to let her know he had cleared customs and was coming outside. Ozzy was going to pick him up himself but they decided against it later because they didn't want to take the chance that the paps would spot him and honestly, neither man wanted to be stuck next to each other in a car while not being able to hug and kiss each other because one of them was driving.

So Kara offered to pick him up and now he was getting into the passenger seat of her car and exchanging a quick hug with her before she pulled away from the curb and into the heavy traffic of New York City.

"Welcome to New York, my friend!" Kara turned her head to smile at him as they slowly crept along with the traffic "How was the flight? Did you sleep?"

"Yeah. It was good. We hit some bad weather somewhere and it got a bit bumpy for a bit. It didn't bother me. I guess I'm just so used to flying. It seemed to freak some other passengers out though. Nervous flyers I guess," Finn shrugged his shoulders and turned his head to look out the window at the passing buildings.

Kara hummed and reached out to turn on the radio, keeping it on low so they could chat "Turbulence doesn't bother me either. Have you been to New York before?"

"Oh yeah," Finn nodded and turned back to look at Kara as she drove "Tons of times. We always travelled a lot because of my Pop's job. I always wanted my parents to get a flat here but they never saw a need for it."

"Maybe you could get your own apartment over here now that you're an adult with your own money," Kara said.

"I could," Finn agreed, a cheeky grin appearing on his face "But I think I'm all set for a place to stay whenever I'm here don't you think?"

Kara laughed and checked her mirrors before moving into a different lane where she could drive a little faster "I think you might be right about that, Finnegan Horan."

The rest of the drive was spent chatting easily about anything and everything. Finn liked Kara and they had become quick friends since the first time they met. He never felt uncomfortable or felt like he had to struggle to make small talk when he was around her. It was good. They had a good relationship and that was important to Finn since she was a huge part of Ozzy and Jacob's life.

When they pulled up in front of Ozzy's town house, Kara smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek "I'm glad you're here, Finn. I know two people inside who can't wait to see you. I won't be going in. Ozzy already knows. I told him I'd drop you off then I'm off to my parents house since he doesn't need me until we go back to England. Remind him to call if he needs me though."

"I will, Kara, thank you. Enjoy your time with your parents," Finn told her, then he got out of the car, grabbed his carry on from the back, and after waving goodbye he walked up the stone steps to Ozzy's front door. He was about to ring the doorbell but Ozzy and Jacob must have been watching for him because the large door swung open and he was met by a squealing Jacob throwing his arms around his waist.

"Hi, buddy!" Finn said happily, reaching down to pick the four year old up so he could hug him. He held him tight and kissed his forehead and cheek repeatedly, relishing in the sound of the little boys giggles "I missed you. I'm so happy to see you."

"I missed you, too, Finny!" Jacob said happily, his breath hitting Finn's ear.

Finn closed his eyes and held Jacob a bit longer. He smelled like bubble gum shampoo and fresh cut grass. He must have been outside playing at some point. He also just smelled like Jacob. A smell Finn was becoming very familiar with, a smell he loved. It made him think of all the times he's fallen asleep on the couch with Jacob next to him or the times Jacob has cuddled into him while they watched a film. It made him think about every moment he's had with Jacob in the almost year that he's known him. Most of all it made him think of how he's fallen in love with this little boy and he wanted nothing more than to be in his life forever.

"Hey," Ozzy's amused voice broke him out of his thoughts and he opened his eyes to see the fond look on his boyfriends face. Finn really fucking loved that face. "Any love for me or are you two just going to carry on without me?"

Jacob giggled at his father and Finn kissed his cheek again before putting him back down on the floor "I'm going to say hello to your Papa now okay?"

"Okay Finny!" Jacob agreed, then the little boy ran off down the hallway and turned into a large room on the left, probably the living room judging by the sound of the telly and what sounded like a kids show.

"Hi," Finn stepped closer to Ozzy and reached his hand out to take Ozzy's, linking their fingers together "I missed you so much. I know it's only been a week and we'll spend longer periods of time apart soon enough but- I've just wanted to hold you so badly."

"Then do it," Ozzy said softly, a small smile on his face.

Finn didn't waste any time. He reached out with his free hand and slid it behind Ozzy's neck, entangling his fingers in Ozzy's hair and pulling him in so they were chest to chest. He let go of Ozzy's hand and slid his arm around Ozzy's waist, holding on to him as he leaned in for a kiss that was slow at first, their mouths opened a little but no tongue involved. After a minute they melted into each other completely and they deepened the kiss, their tongues meeting in a dance they knew well.

"Missed you," Ozzy whispered against Finn's lips when they parted for air "God Finn. I hate being away from you after a fight. Don't let me do that again. If one of us has to travel and we're having a fight, let's make sure we work it out before we have to leave."

Finn kissed Ozzy's lips again and ran his hand up and down over his muscular back "Okay," He whispered before kissing his boyfriends lips again "I promise we won't let this happen again. Even if you're telling me you need time. I'll remind you of this conversation right here."

Ozzy laughed and buried his face in Finn's neck, kissing it and making Finn shiver "I love you. Thank you for coming."

"I love you, too, Pet," Finn kissed his forehead and breathed him in "I'm very glad to be here. If I hadn't been such a dick I would have done whatever I could to rearrange my PT so I could come with you on this trip- even of just for a few days. Thankfully you and Rory set me straight and that's exactly what I did. Actually..."

"What?" Ozzy pulled back enough to look Finn in the face.

Finn smiled shyly and stole another quick kiss from his boyfriend "During my last PT session before I came here, I told Mark I was coming here in between sessions and he said next week was supposed to be a down week to rest my knee a bit but he said we could do it this week so I could stay here longer. So, I'm not sure how long you were planning on staying but I've got the full week."

A slow smile appeared on Ozzy's face and then he was grabbing Finn and kissing him hard, laughing into the kiss "This is amazing, baby! I know you've been here before but now we've got a week and I can show you around to all my favourite places, take you to the bar where I used to sing before I auditioned for the voice, show you where I grew up, have you meet my friends, go to Central Park with Jacob-"

"Petal," Finn cut Ozzy off with a laugh "Breathe love. We will absolutely do all of that but first how about you let me put my bag away and get my shoes off?"

"Oh!" Ozzy stepped back with wide eyes, "Right. I should show you around my house and take your bag to my bedroom. You take your shoes off and I'll be right back."

Finn watched, amused, as Ozzy went down the hall and into what Finn expected was the living room. He heard him talking to Jacob then he was coming back down the hallway, smiling at Finn the whole way.

"Okay. Jacob is busy watching his favourite show. He said not to show you his room because he wants to do that himself when his show is finished," Ozzy chuckled "I'll show you the rest of the place though. We can start upstairs and we can put your bag in my room."

Before Finn could respond, Ozzy was picking up his bag in one hand and taking Finn's hand in the other and leading him up the stairs that were right across from the front door. Finn didn't bother objecting and saying he could carry his own bag. He knew Ozzy wasn't taking his bag because of his knee or anything, he was just being a good host.

When they got to the top of the stairs they followed the hallway all the way to the back of the house and went into the last room on the right. It was a large room with an ensuite, walk in closet and doors that opened up onto a balcony that faced the back yard.

"This is my bedroom," Ozzy told him as he walked over to the bed and placed Finn's luggage on top, "There's towels and everything else you'll need in the bathroom. What's mine is yours, okay? I want you to make yourself at home here."

"I always feel at home when I'm with you and Jacob," Finn said as he walked over to the bed and slipped his arms around Ozzy's waist, "I don't care how cliche that sounds, it's true."

Ozzy pecked him on the lips and smiled "I feel the same way. Come on, I'll show you the rest of the place."

The rest of the upstairs had two more bedrooms and a large bathroom. One of the rooms was Jacob's and the other was Kara's unofficially. If he needed her to stay over, she stayed in that room but mostly she was at her parents house or at the apartment she shared with a friend of hers before she got the job with Ozzy. Usually if they were in New York Ozzy wasn't working and he was able to look after Jacob himself so she wasn't needed as much.

Back downstairs there was the entryway where there was a coat closet, a large kitchen, a living room, an office and a utility room. Then down in the basement Ozzy explained that he had to renovate because it had been just a dusty old storage place before. He put in a home gym and a game room where he obviously also played some instruments judging by the guitars that were on their stands around the room.

"I love it," Finn said as they came back up the basement stairs and into the living room where Jacob was engrossed in the telly while absentmindedly rolling a truck back and forth in front of him "Your house is great, Oz. Not too big, not too small. I think my favourite part is the piano over there by the window. You're lucky to have a living room big enough to fit it!"

Ozzy led Finn over to the couch and they sat down together, sinking into each other and linking their hands together, "Yeah. I mean, once I started making money and bought this place, it was a must. I love playing and I write a lot of songs on the piano. It was so nice to finally have a real one and not just a little keyboard."

"I love listening to you play. You're so good at it. I like watching videos of you on YouTube playing piano at your concerts. You're quite hot sitting at the piano all sweating and singing your heart out into the mic," Finn told his boyfriend, laughing when Ozzy shoved him slightly and scoffed.

Jacob's show finished then, and the little boy got up from the floor and came over to the couch "Is your knee okay, Finny? Can I come up?"

Finn smiled at the boy and easily lifted him up onto his lap, turning him to the side so he could see his face, "My knee is just fine for you, Mr. Jacob. Just don't kick it and we'll be fine."

"'Kay," Jacob said as he cuddled his body into Finn's, his eyes getting droopy.

"I think someone is a little tired," Ozzy chuckled and reached over to gently brush his son's hair behind his ear "He was up at six this morning. He was too excited to sleep because you were coming and we had a busy morning playing in the park with his cousins."

Finn looked at his watch and saw that it was three in the afternoon there, eight in the evening in London. After getting up quite early and then traveling all day, Finn couldn't deny he was a little tired himself.

"Jakey?" Ozzy spoke in a soft voice "How about we get you upstairs for a little nap, okay? You're about to fall asleep."

"Nooooo," The little boy whined and hid his face against Finn's chest "Want to stay with Finny. Don't want to go to bed."

Finn rubbed the little boys back and kissed his head "What about if I went with you? You could show me your room and we could have a nap together before dinner."

Finn looked up at Ozzy and mouthed "Do you mind?" And Ozzy shook his head no, a soft smile on his face as he watched Finn with his son.

"You'll come with me?" Jacob asked, "You'll sleep too?"

"Yep. We'll nap together. I'm tired after being on a plane all day and it's night time in London already," Finn explained to the little boy.

"Okay," Jacob said, then he yawned making Ozzy and Finn both coo at him.

"I bet you are tired after traveling all day," Ozzy said "I'm going to make dinner while you two nap. I'll wake you in a couple hours okay? Do you need me to go up with you?"

"Nah," Finn said as he stood up with Jacob in his arms, "Jacob will show me the way, won't you Jakey?"

"Uh huh," Jacob nodded, then rubbed at his eyes with his fists.

"Sleep well, baby," Ozzy leaned in and kissed him quickly "You, too, little bear," Ozzy kissed Jacob's cheek.

Finn carried Jacob out of the living room and up the stairs, going into the bedroom that Jacob pointed out to him. It was a typical little boys room, done up in a car theme which was fitting since Jacob seemed to quite like all sorts of vehicles. Even the bed was in the shape of a car!

He waited to see if the little boy was going to show him anything once he put him down on the floor again. Apparently he was too tired for that because he simply led Finn by the hand to the bed and pulled down the covers, indicating that Finn get in bedside him. He did as the little boy asked even though his feet hung off the end of the bed, and in no time at all they were both fast asleep with Jacob cuddled into his side.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left comments to let me know if I should keep going or end the story. I had no idea just how much everyone was enjoying it. I hadn't gotten many comments lately so I figured people were just getting bored with it because I do heavily write fluff lol you've all said you're not bored though so I will keep going since I want to explore Fizzy's relationship and Finn and Jacob's relationship. There will also be more Narry! So thank you commenting. Clearly it helps with my insecurity LOL I'm always worried I'm boring everybody. 
> 
> Just a note: Since this is in the future I'll be making up fake celebrities. For example I named one Kristin Oliver in this chapter. If there IS a celebrity with that name I don't know her and it was unintentional (as will be every other name I make up in the future) 
> 
> Also, next chapter after this one will be NARRY! I know some of you have been asking for more Narry :)
> 
> Okay. Happy reading!

 

 

 

 

Finn woke up feeling disoriented. He could hear whispering and he knew the bed he was sleeping on wasn't his own. He struggled to open his eyes, fighting off a yawn, and saw Ozzy sitting on the edge of the bed smiling and Jacob sitting up in the bed next to him with his hair sticking up everywhere and giggling.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Ozzy said in a teasing voice, "Welcome back to the land of the living."

Finn groaned and rubbed his hands over his face, trying to wake himself up. He remembered where he was now, obviously. He came up to Jacob's room with him and they took a nap while Ozzy said he was going to make dinner. He must be having trouble waking up because of the jet lag.

"Time is it?" Finn asked, then had to cover his mouth with his hand to hide a huge yawn.

"Dinner time!" Jacob said through his giggles, his tiny hand coming up to gently pat Finn's cheek.

Finn smiled down at him and tickled under his chin with his finger "Hello my little snuggle bunny. Did you just wake up too?"

"Nuh uh," Jacob shook his head "I woke up and you were still sleeping so I went downstairs and Papa said we'd let you sleep a bit more."

"It's just after seven," Ozzy told him, reaching out to push his hair back from his forehead "I thought about letting you sleep right through until morning but you must be starving. You can go back to sleep after you eat something"

"No," Finn shook his head "I'm fine. Just took me a minute to wake up. I'd rather go to bed with you and get on New York time."

"Okay," Ozzy agreed, "I think we'll all end up in bed kind of early anyway. We were all up early this morning. A good night's rest will do us good so we can have some fun tomorrow."

"Sounds good, Pet. I'll just go splash some water on my face then I'll be right down for dinner," Finn said, stretching his arms over his head and yawning again.

"Alright. You know where everything is. We'll go downstairs and plate the food. You like garlic bread right?" Ozzy asked as he stood up and picked Jacob up and lifted him over Finn and onto the floor.

"Love it!" Finn smiled.

"Good," Ozzy leaned down to kiss his cheek "Spaghetti and garlic bread coming right up. Let's go Jakey!"

Finn watched with a smile on his face as Jacob took Ozzy's hand and they left the room to go downstairs. Father and son were so cute together and so much alike too. Finn couldn't love them anymore if he tried.

He got up from Jacob's bed and went down the hall to Ozzy's room, going into the ensuite and wetting a wash cloth to wash his face with. Even though he was about to eat, he rinsed his mouth with mouth wash to get the weird taste out, then he went out and quickly changed into a new shirt before heading downstairs to the kitchen.

The minute he hit the last step he could smell the spaghetti sauce and garlic bread and his mouth began to water and his stomach started grumbling. He had to admit he was starving and Ozzy is such a good cook. He couldn't wait to eat.

"Hey. It smells great in here," Finn said as he walked into the kitchen. He stopped by Ozzy who was cutting the bread into pieces and kissed his cheek, his hand gently rubbing across his lower back.

Ozzy leaned back into him and Finn took the opportunity to nuzzle against his neck, "Well there's plenty so eat as much as you want."

Once they were seated at the table and began eating, Ozzy brought up their plans for the next day, "So. Me and Jakey were talking while you were asleep and he would very much like to bring you to the Central Park Zoo tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Jacob yelled happily, spaghetti sauce already covering his chin, "I love the Zoo, Finny! You wanna go?"

"Yessssss. I certainly do," Finn responded, reaching over with a napkin to playfully wipe at Jacob's chin, "I know you've visited the London Zoo a couple of times since you and your Papa have been living there. I'd love it if you brought me to your Zoo. What's your favourite animal?"

"Puppies," Jacob said, "But there are no puppies in the Zoo. At the Zoo I love the monkeys. They're so funny!"

Finn hummed as he swallowed his bits of spaghetti,"I like the monkeys, too. I also love dogs but my Dad and Pop said we couldn't get one because we were too busy and the dog would be home alone too much."

"Yeah. Papa says the same thing. We can't get a puppy because we go on planes all the time and don't stay home a lot," Jacob said sadly.

"It's okay, buddy," Finn smiled at the little boy and bopped him on the nose, "Maybe someday when you're older you'll be able to get a puppy. Until then we'll just have fun with other people's puppies and we'll go see the animals at the Zoo."

Jacob seemed happy with that answer and happily continued to eat his spaghetti while making a mess of himself. Finn turned to Ozzy who was smiling at him and gave him a questioning look as he sunk his teeth into the delicious bread.

"You're really good with him," Ozzy said softly, "Its...a dream come true for me. Since the day he was born I hoped to find someone some day who will love him as much as I do."

Finn reached out and placed his hand on Ozzy's thigh under the table, squeezing gently, "You're his very amazing Papa. Nobody could ever love him as much as you do. I like to think I come pretty close though," He paused to glance across the table at Jacob who was happily engrossed in his food and not really paying attention to them. He was absolutely adorable, "I'd do anything for him. He has my heart. I need you to know that. No matter what may happen with us in the future, he will always remain in my life and important to me as long as you allow it."

"You're an incredible human being, Finnegan Horan. We're pretty damn lucky to have you," Ozzy said, his eyes glossing over a bit as he tried to control his emotions.

"I feel just as lucky to have the both of you, Pet," Finn assured Ozzy. It was the truth. After the way he's been acting lately, he wouldn't have blamed Ozzy if he walked away and never looked back. The thought of that happening, the thought of losing these two people who have become so important to him, makes him physically sick.

"So," Ozzy cleared his throat and rested his hand on his thigh right on top of Finn's, "The Zoo is okay tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," Finn nodded as he finished off his last bite of spaghetti, "I'm up for anything."

"Well I was thinking of inviting my sister and my niece and nephew. The kids could play together and that'll give you a chance to meet my sister and chat with her a bit. Is that okay?" Ozzy asked.

"Definitely. I'm looking forward to meeting her beyond the computer screen. She seems great," Finn said as he wiped his mouth with his napkin and arranged his utensils neatly on his plate.

"There's more food," Ozzy said, "Want it?"

Finn groaned and sat back in his chair, "Yes. Does that make me a pig?"

Ozzy snorted and stood up to get Finn more food, "No. You've probably only had plane food today and you're a big boy. It's normal to have an appetite."

Finn arches an eyebrow and smirked at Ozzy, "I'm a big boy."

Ozzy glared at him and mouthed for him to fuck off, making Finn laugh and ball up his napkin to throw at him. Jacob must have found this funny because when Finn looked over at him the little boy was giggling, a small piece of bread in each hand. Finn made a funny face at him that made him start giggling even harder and Finn thought it was the sweetest sound he's ever heard. He wants to make Jacob make that sound all the time.

"What are you laughing at, huh?" Ozzy teased as he came back with more spaghetti for himself and Finn, "Are you laughing at me?"

"Noooo Papa!" Jacob laughed, "I laughing at Finny. He's funny."

"Yeah, Papa. I'm quite funny. Didn't you know?" Finn said, purposefully getting sauce on his chin like Jacob and grinning like a fool at Ozzy.

"Oh my God!" Ozzy snorted, "Look at the two of you. Sauce all over your faces. It's like I have two kids to take care of. I'll have to give both of you a bath after this."

Jacob sat laughing happily in his chair at his father while Finn leaned in close to Ozzy and whispered, "I'd love for you to give me a bath later." then he kissed Ozzy's cheek, getting sauce all over it.

Ozzy tried to glare at him but only ended up laughing along with Finn and Jacob. Of course when Finn looked deep into his eyes he could see the arousal there and he knew Ozzy was probably thinking of them in the shower or taking a bath together. Finn was thinking about it, too, and if he had his way later he and Ozzy would be having a bit of adult fun before they went to sleep, he didn't care how tired he was.

The three of them soon finished up their dinner and while Ozzy cleared the table, Finn took Jacob down the hall to the bathroom next to the office and helped the little boy clean off his face and wash his hands. When they were done, Finn lifted Jacob up and gave him a big kiss on his now clean cheek, making the little boy giggle again of course. He was the sweetest, cutest, most adorable little boy. Finn fell more in love with him every second.

They met Ozzy in the living room and Jacob immediately started playing with his toys again, driving his cars around and making car noises. Finn sat down with Ozzy on the couch, going willingly when Ozzy pulled him in between his legs so that his back was to Ozzy's chest and Ozzy had his arms around him, his breath on his neck.

"I turned the Yankees game on. Is that okay?" Ozzy murmured in his ear.

"Yeah. That's fine," Finn said, leaning his head back on Ozzy's shoulder, "We probably shouldn't tell my Dad, though. In all his years coming to the states with my Pop he's become a Boston Red Sox fan."

Ozzy is quiet for a few minutes then he says, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. I'd rather not be rivals with your Dad."

Finn laughed and lifted one of Ozzy's arms up to kiss the inside of his wrist, "Red Sox/Yankees, always the bitter rivalry. It's okay. If you can have pints with my Dad and watch a game while calling each other nasty names then put it all behind you when it's over, he'll have the utmost respect for you."

"I'll have to remember that," Ozzy chuckled, "Hey. Have you checked your phone?"

"My phone is probably dead," Finn sunk back into Ozzy even more, loving the way they fit together even though Finn was a little bigger than Ozzy, "When I landed I let my parents know, then I texted you and Kara and put my phone in my bag. Haven't looked at it since. Why?"

Ozzy reached out and picked up his phone from the coffee table and opened the Twitter app before giving the phone to Finn, "I couldn't resist posting this and it's made Twitter explode."

Finn clicked on the photo to make it bigger and made a cooing noise when he finally got a good look. It was a picture of himself and Jacob from earlier. Finn was laying on his back on Jacob's car bed, covered to his waist in the blue duvet with pictures of cars on it and his feet hanging off the bed. He's fast asleep and Jacob is fast asleep next to him, his arm stretched across Finn's chest and his face tucked into Finn's neck. It was absolutely adorable and made Finn's heart swell with love.

"He's perfect," Finn whispered, "This is going to sound weird but thank God it was you who got his Mum pregnant because I can't stand to think about what might have happened to him if he was someone else's."

"Kind of like with you, huh? With Harry and Niall adopting you. I know I'm really fucking glad they did," Ozzy said softly so Jacob couldn't hear them.

"You and me both," Finn blew out a breath, "My parents have always been honest with me about where I come from and the thought of my biological father makes me sick."

"Well you'll never have to meet him. Have you put any thought into meeting your biological mother someday? I know she asked for it." Ozzy said.

"Yeah," Finn paused for a moment while thinking about what to say, "I don't feel as strongly about her as my asshole sperm donor. She made some bad choices but she was young and naive. I don't _hate_ her but...I don't feel any connection with her either. I feel no need to see her. I'm really happy with my life, my family- I just don't have anything I need to say to her. I don't need closure or anything. I'm not trying to hurt her or anything. I just- don't feel anything."

"And that's okay, baby," Ozzy held him tight and kissed his neck, "You need to take care of you. Do what's best for you. You don't owe anybody anything. If she's really changed and wants what's best for you, she'll accept your decision. Don't ever feel guilty for it."

"Thank you for saying that, for supporting me," Finn kissed Ozzy's wrist again, "I haven't completely ruled it out either. I might just meet her one day, just to say I did, to see what she's like, let her see me, and then it'll be done and I probably won't see her again. Just not right now. I've got enough going on right now."

"Understandable. Whatever you decide, whenever you decide it, I'm on your side no matter what," Ozzy reiterated, "Now. Have you looked at any of those comments on that picture?"

Finn chuckled and focused back on the phone to read some of the comments. He was surprised to see how many there were and a lot from famous people as well.

**Kristin Oliver @krisoliver26 can I please just say that I'm completely in love with #fizzy? Like, I need to meet them right now and beg them to adopt me...or marry me. As long as they're in my presence.**

Finn let out a loud bark of laughter and half turned his body so he could look at Ozzy, "Oh my God! That's hilarious. I can't believe the most famous young actress in Hollywood just tweeted about us. Have you met her?"

"Nope," Ozzy shook his head, laughing, "Her movies are brilliant though. Already won an Oscar and she's only twenty-six. I can't believe she's noticed us either."

Finn continues to scroll through, shaking his head in awe that so many celebrities have tweeted about his relationship with Ozzy. Some of them he's heard of, others he hasn't but Ozzy has and he tells him who everyone is. Then there are fans of Ozzy's who are going completely crazy to the point where some of their tweets don't even make sense.

"Look at this one," Ozzy points his finger at a particular tweet.

@ **Finn_Horan is hot and good with kids too? @Ozzy_Peters you are one lucky man! Can you find someone like that for me too??**

"I agree with this girl. You're very hot and so good with kids anddddd I'm definitely a lucky man," Ozzy said, laughing when Finn shook his head and blushed.

"Shut up," Finn grumbled and folded his arms over his chest, a slight smile on his face despite his protests, "She's just being silly."

"Whatever you say, baby," Ozzy laughed and buried his face in Finn's neck, kissing him until he made him laugh.

"Of course Pop had to tweet about it," Finn laughed as he continued to scroll through.

"Well yeah. He thinks everything you do is cute," Ozzy laughed, "I happen to agree with him."

Finn didn't say anything, just cuddled even more into Ozzy and hid his face in Ozzy's t-shirt. Ozzy laughed and tightened his arms around him, kissing the top of his head and running his fingers through his hair.

He was so comfortable in his boyfriends arms that he must have fallen off to sleep again because the next thing he knows the telly is turned off, it's completely dark outside, and Jacob was gone.

"What's going on? What time is it?" He asked Ozzy who was kneeling on the floor next to the couch, stroking Finn's cheek to wake him up.

"Just past eleven. I didn't want to wake you but you'll be more comfortable in bed," Ozzy smiled softly at him, "Jacob had his bath and I put him to bed. He didn't want to wake you up. He said to tell you goodnight and he'll see you tomorrow so we can go to the zoo."

Finn chuckled and rubbed his fingers over his eyes to get the sleep out of them, "I'm sorry I missed him. Sorry I fell asleep."

"It's okay, baby. It's the middle of the night in London and you had a long day. Come on, let's get you up to bed," Ozzy stood up and held out his hand, pulling Finn up onto his feet and walking hand in hand with him upstairs.

"Do you mind if I shower before bed? I feel gross after flying for so long," Finn asked when they entered Ozzy's bedroom and Ozzy shut the door.

"Of course. You don't have to ask. You're my boyfriend. You can do whatever you want while you're here. What's mine is yours," Ozzy smiled at him, "If you hear noise while you're in there it's just me brushing my teeth."

"Okay," Finn laughed and walked into the bathroom. He turned the shower on to warm up while he took his clothes off and put them in Ozzy's hamper. They'd do laundry before they went back to England anyway. Once the water was hot, he got in the shower and closed the door behind him. He took a good five minutes to just stand there and let the hot water hit his shoulders. It felt good after sitting on an airplane for so many hours. Eventually he grabbed the soap and washed himself with a wash cloth, then he helped himself to Ozzy's shampoo and conditioner since he didn't bother to bring his own. When he was done he grabbed the towel he had left hanging over the door and quickly dried himself off, tying it around his waist when he was done. He stepped out of the shower and brushed his teeth with the toothbrush Ozzy said he'd leave out for him, then he walked back into the bedroom to find Ozzy sitting up in bed watching the telly.

"Feel better?" Ozzy asked him as he dried his hair a bit with a small towel.

"Loads," Finn walked back into the bathroom to hang the small towel up to dry, then he came back out, still with just a towel around his waist, and he didn't miss the way Ozzy's eyes moved over his body slowly and appreciatively. "Hello."

"Hmm?" Ozzy hummed, "What?"

Finn smiled slowly and ran his finger over the top of his towel where it rested along his pelvic bone. He watched as Ozzy's eyes followed his fingers movement and struggled not to burst out laughing while at the same time being turned on by the interest his boyfriend clearly had over his body, "You're not listening to me at all are you?"

Ozzy swallowed and licked his lips, his eyes slowly lifting up over Finn's body until they stopped at Finn's eyes. He shook his head slowly, "Not really, no."

Finn hummed and smirked a little at his boyfriend,"To be honest, I'm kind of glad you're not. Talking isn't really what I had in mind."

"Aren't you tired?" Ozzy asked, his voice sounding absentminded as his eyes roamed over Finn's chest again.

"Not anymore. Had a nap didn't I?" Finn walked closer to the bed so that he was right in front of Ozzy, "But...if you're tired we _could_ go to bed. I was just hoping we'd do something a bit different." He hooked his fingers under the towel, undoing the knot and dropping it to the floor.

"Jesus," Ozzy cursed and scrambled to get out from under the blankets. When he did, he walked on his knees to the edge of the bed where Finn was standing and looked up at him with such want and desire in his eyes that it nearly made Finn have to catch his breath, "You're gorgeous, baby."

Finn slid both hands along the sides of Ozzy's neck and held him there, his thumbs gently brushing over his cheeks. He leaned down to kiss him, their lips meeting in a sweet kiss. There were no open mouths, no tongue, just soft kisses, over and over again until it became too much for them, until the fires in their bellies started to really burn and they both opened their mouths, deepening the kiss. Ozzy's hands came up to smooth across Finn's chest then move down over his ribs and abs until they grabbed onto Finn's hips and squeezed, making Finn moan into Ozzy's mouth.

"I missed you," Ozzy whispered when they broke apart, both of them breathing heavily, "I hate being apart from you now that I've found you."

"Me too, Pet," Finn kissed him again, moving his hands down over his shoulders and arms, "Now can we possibly make it so that I'm not the only one naked here?"

Ozzy laughed against Finn's lips then moved away so he could reach down and pull his t-shirt off over his head. He was already in his boxers after having gotten ready for bed. He reached down to remove those, too, and then he was kneeling on the bed, naked, his cock already starting to get hard for Finn.

"Oz?" Finn said quietly, his forehead pressed against Ozzy's.

Ozzy's fingers slowly caressed Finn's skin, his chest, his shoulders, his back, his waist, his hips, "Yeah, baby?"

"Want you to fuck me this time," Finn whispered, his nerves nearly making the words get stuck in his throat. He wasn't afraid. He wasn't nervous about it hurting too much or something. He knew without a doubt Ozzy would take care of him, go slow and follow Finn's lead. He was nervous because he just wanted to be good for Ozzy. He wanted to please him. He wanted to be as good as Ozzy was every time Finn fucked him.

"Yeah?" Ozzy held Finn's face in his hands, "Are you sure? We don't have to. I'll be the bottom for the rest of our lives if you want me to."

Finn smiled and turned his head to kiss Ozzy's thumb, "I'm completely sure. I promise."

"Okay. I just sense a bit of hesitance. I don't want to rush into this unless you're really sure. I'm not going anywhere. We have all the time in the world," Ozzy said gently.

"I know. Now is the right time. I feel it. I want it. I'm not hesitant, just nervous. I just-I want to be good at it. When I fuck you and you wrap yourself around me...God you're so good, Ozzy. I don't want to screw this up and have it be bad for you," Finn admitted, he's cheeks growing hot.

"Hey," Ozzy lifted Finn's chin a little so they had eye contact again, "Believe it or not, I'm having the same feelings as you. Every time you fuck me I see stars. It's so good and I'm nervous about being able to make it as good for you as you do for me."

Finn blew out a breath and laughed a little, "Quite the pair aren't we?"

"The best, I think." Ozzy chuckled, "I love you, baby. We're both nervous but it's just you and me so how about we just do what feels right. We'll take care of each other like we always do."

"Yeah," Finn smiled, his nervousness dissipating after looking into his boyfriends eyes and hearing he was nervous too, "Yeah. I like that idea."

"Come 'ere," Ozzy pulled him into his arms and began to kiss him again, his tongue steadily meeting Finn's own and sending little sparks of arousal to Finn's gut. Ozzy's hands were all over him, igniting his skin after every touch. When he felt Ozzy's hands cup his butt cheeks and start kneading them gently, he whimpered slightly into the kiss which got Ozzy going faster, kissing him more hungrily.

Finn moved onto the bed without breaking the kiss and when he did, Ozzy quickly turned them around until Finn was laying on his back and Ozzy was on top of him. Their bodies fit together perfectly and Finn let his head sink back into the pillows, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of Ozzy's lips all over his skin. He loved the way Ozzy kissed him, whether it be on the lips or on the neck or somewhere else. Right now Ozzy was mouthing along his shoulder, his lip ring feeling cool against his skin. When he moved along and wrapped his lips around Finn's nipple, Finn arched his back off the bed a bit and panted at the pleasure he felt from Ozzy's hot breath alongside the feel of the ring against his nipple.

"Oz..." Finn breathed out his boyfriends name, his fingers sliding up over Ozzy's back and into his hair.

"Feel good?" Ozzy murmured, looking up at him with darkened green eyes full of love and desire.

"So good," Finn breathed out.

"Good. I want to make you feel amazing, baby," Ozzy said, then he nudged Finn's legs open wider with his knee and got in between them, kissing his way down over his abs until he got to his pelvic bone, "Can you hand me the lube? It's in the drawer to your right."

Finn obliged, reaching out one of his long arms to open the drawer and feel around for the bottle of lube. When he found it he passed it down to Ozzy then settled back into the pillows again, relaxing and letting Ozzy take the lead.

"I don't think I've ever seen a body as perfect as yours before," Ozzy murmured, against Finn's skin as he dragged his lips over the soft skin on the inside of Finn's thigh, "Even your imperfections are perfect," He circled his thumb around a spot down by his good knee, "This scar right here," He kissed it, "This freckle right here, on your thigh," He kissed that too, "You've got a freckle right on the inside of your ankle as well. I love it."

Finn sucked in a breath and moaned softly as Ozzy slowly ran his hands up and down over his thighs, gently massaging as he went along. He loved when Ozzy talked to him like this. Finn wasn't stupid, he knew due to his constant physical activity he was in good shape. He had muscular legs because of football and he lifted weights to help keep his upper body in shape. He still had his insecurities though, about being more into books than other things, about liking to stay home a lot rather than going out getting pissed drunk all the time, about being considered a nerd because he's pretty intelligent when it comes to school and stuff. So it felt good when his boyfriend praised him, when he looked at him with such obvious lust in his eyes. It gave him confidence.

"Touch me. Please, Oz," Finn panted. His cock was throbbing at this point and he needed some kind of release.

"I am touching you," Ozzy smirked as he stilled his hands on Finn's thighs and dug his fingers gently into the soft skin there.

Finn huffed out a frustrated breath that had Ozzy chuckling, the sound of his low laughter only feeding the fire in Finn's gut, "Please Pet. I need you so much."

"I've got you, baby. I've got you," Ozzy murmured. He moved his hand to grip Finn's cock, jerking it slowly and making Finn crazy. When he dipped his head down and took Finn into his mouth, slowly sinking down on him, Finn cried out and gripped the sheets, the arousal he was feeling making his legs shake.

"Oh God," Finn's voice went up an octave, "Oh fuck, Ozzy."

Ozzy hummed around his cock and pulled back up, circling the head with his tongue before pulling off completely, "I'm going to open you up, okay? Just stay relaxed and enjoy my mouth on you. Like we've done before."

Finn nodded his head and let his mind wander back to the times before when Ozzy has fingered him. Finn had tried to finger himself before but never really felt anything so he didn't bother trying again or using a toy. So when Ozzy suggested they start with that, he wasn't expecting much until Ozzy hit the right spot while also sucking him off. Finn had seen stars and had come so hard in Ozzy's mouth it was dripping down his chin. It was fucking incredible.

When he heard the bottle of lube snap shut, he snapped out of his thoughts and looked down as Ozzy took him into his mouth again, never breaking eye contact the whole time. Finn moaned and bit his lip, fighting the urge to just fuck Ozzy's mouth and come right here right now. He needed to hold on. He wanted to come with Ozzy inside of him.

As Ozzy started to bob his head on his cock, Finn felt his index finger rub over his entrance, the lube only a little cool against his skin. He slipped the finger in and Finn stayed completely relaxed, closing his eyes and letting the feeling of Ozzy's mouth on him completely take over.

When Ozzy moved up to two fingers, scissoring them in and out, he pulled off of Finn's cock and paid attention to other areas. He sucked on his balls, left open mouth kisses along the inside of his thighs, moved up to suck a mark into the skin over his hip. Finn was feeling amazing sensations everywhere, his whole body feeling on fire. There was sweat beading along his chest and forehead and his breathing was erratic. Every part of him felt so alive. It was incredible!

By the time Ozzy moved up to three fingers he was back on Finn's cock, bobbing up and down and swirling his tongue around the head. Finn was an absolute mess and finally had to grab onto Ozzy's hair to pull him off, "I can't-" He panted, "I need-I'm ready. Please, love. Want to come with you inside me."

"Okay," Ozzy nodded, his voice sounding wrecked. He wiped come and saliva from his mouth with the back of his hand then moved up to kiss Finn tenderly, "Do you want a condom, baby?"

"No," Finn shook his head, "No. I'm good. Want to feel you."

They were both clean anyway and hadn't really been using condoms much since they got it confirmed with blood tests.

Ozzy opened the lube again and slicked up his cock, then he moved back in between Finn's legs and lifted his legs up high around his torso, "Like this, baby? So I can look at you?"

"Yeah," Finn smiled and wrapped his arms around Ozzy's neck loosely, his fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of Ozzy's neck, "Want to look at you, too."

Ozzy smiled down at him then bent down for a long, soft kiss, "I love you. Tell me to stop at anytime if you need me to, okay? I want this to be good."

"I love you, too, petal. It'll be good. I trust you with everything," Finn assured him.

Ozzy nodded then held his cock in his hand so he could guide it to Finn's entrance, "I'm going to go slow, just push in a bit at a time, okay? To give you time to adjust. Tell me if it hurts too much."

Finn nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He wasn't afraid of it hurting. He was so relaxed thanks to Ozzy's attention all over his body. All he felt now was adrenaline and anticipation.

When Ozzy finally began to push in, Finn kept his breathing even and stared up into Ozzy's eyes, getting lost in the look of love he saw there. He nodded when Ozzy asked him if it was okay to keep going, not feeling any pain, just a feeling of fullness he's never felt before.

"Finn...", Ozzy breathed out his name when he was all the way in, his voice full of desire. He hovered over Finn's body, his arms bracketing Finn's head, his face right over Finn's so they could stare into each other's eyes, "God, baby. The way you feel around me..."

"You can move," Finn slid a hand behind Ozzy's neck and pulled him down into a kiss then he whispered against his lips, "Fuck me."

"Jesus. You're going to kill me one day," Ozzy mumbled against Finn's lips, making Finn let out a muffled laugh. He began to move his hips a bit, rocking gently at first, letting Finn get used to the feeling.

"Yeah," Finn breathed out, starting to move his own hips to meet Ozzy's.

"Yeah?" Ozzy looked down at him, his teeth digging into his bottom lip, "That good? You like that?"

"Mhm. Feels good," Finn nodded, biting down on his own lip, "Want more. Want you to hit that spot."

Ozzy smirked down at him then leaned down to kiss him, their tongues meeting instantly in a sloppy kiss full of heavy breathing. Ozzy sped up a bit, pushing in a bit harder and faster, getting deeper to find Finn's spot. Finn met him thrust for thrust with his own hips, his fingers digging into Ozzy's back. They picked up a steady pace and when Ozzy hit his spot he broke their kiss and threw his head back cursing.

" _Fuck_! Oz. Ozzy. Right there. _Please_."

Ozzy angled his hips just right and thrust in, hitting his spot again and Finn moaned, the pleasure washing over him and making his dick pulse and throb. It was incredible. He'd never felt anything like it.

"Jesus, Finn. You don't know how good you look and sound right now," Ozzy said breathlessly as he thrust in and out of Finn, "You're amazing. So incredible."

Finn couldn't respond. He was too busy getting amazingly fucked by his boyfriend. He tried to pull Ozzy into another kiss but they were both panting too much so Ozzy simply buried his face in Finn's neck, moaning Finn's name as he kept up a steady pace.

The minutes passed by and the only sounds in the room were the sound of their panting and moaning, the sound of skin slapping against skin as Ozzy fucked into Finn over and over again, and the sound of the mattress creaking under their movement. Finn had his hands all over Ozzy's back and shoulders, digging his nails in after a particularly good thrust. Ozzy kept his face buried in Finn's neck, mouthing at his neck or shoulder periodically.

" _God_ ," Finn's voice broke as he called out, "I'm so close. I need to come. I need-"

"Yeah," Ozzy breathed out, lifting his head to look into Finn's eyes, "Me too, baby. Touch yourself for me. Wanna see you come first."

Finn let out a whimper and reached a hand down between their bodies so he could tug himself off while Ozzy kept thrusting inside him. He grabbed onto his cock and started tugging fast, his release _right_ _there_. "Oh God." He whimpered, "Oh fuck. Feels so good. I'm gonna come, Oz."

"Yes!" Ozzy urged him on, "Let go, baby. Let me see you."

A few more tugs was all it took and he came with a muffled shout as he turned his face into the pillow. Wave after wave of pleasure came over him making him gasp for breath. He kept his eyes on Ozzy's face, watching his mouth drop open in a silent scream as his own orgasm hit. It was incredible. The feel of his own body spasming after his orgasm, the feel of Ozzy's come filling him up, the look on Ozzy's face as wave after wave of his own release hit him.

Eventually, Ozzy collapsed down beside him but half on top of him, his hair damp with sweat and his face a bit red from all the exertion. Finn held on to him, his eyes never leaving Ozzy's as they both struggled to catch their breath. When they finally did, Ozzy reached up and cupped Finn's cheek, moving his thumb in circles over his skin, "Are you okay?"

Finn leaned in and kissed him, pulling away with a smile on his face, "Oh I'm perfect. How are you?"

"I'm feeling pretty perfect too," Ozzy chuckled, "My whole body feels like jello."

"God, mine too," Finn laughed, "You had me coming pretty hard. It was incredible."

"Yeah? Everything you hoped for?" Ozzy asked, the look on his face soft.

"More than. I think I understand what my parents meant by making sure you're with the right person. Making sure you trust them completely and know they'll take care of you. Thanks to all that I was so relaxed the whole time. I wasn't worried at all," Finn told his boyfriend.

"I'm so glad," Ozzy whispered against Finn's lips before kissing him again. They kissed languidly for a few minutes, sometimes smiling into the kiss and rubbing their noses together when they changed the angle. It was so sweet, so intimate. Finn has never felt so safe and warm in his life.

"I feel so good right now," Finn murmured lazily, his head on Ozzy's shoulder, "Even though there's come dripping from my arse."

Ozzy guffawed loudly and quickly pulled the blanket from the bottom of the bed up over them to try and muffle it, "Fuck!" He sputtered, "I hope I didn't wake Jacob. He's a heavy sleeper but I was loud that time. Finn! I just never know what's coming out of your mouth do I?"

Finn shrugged and turned his face so that his cheek was resting on Ozzy's chest. He grinned bashfully as he looked up at Ozzy, "Blame my Dad and Rory."

Ozzy chuckled and pecked his lips quickly, "I'm going to run down the hall really quick and make sure I didn't wake the little bear. Do you want to get the shower started for us?"

"I can do that, yeah. Don't know why I bothered with a shower before," Finn rolled his eyes at himself.

Ozzy laughed and got up out of the bed, stepping into his boxers before he left the room to go down the hall. Finn got up and went into the en suite, wiping come away with tissues so it didn't drip anywhere. He turned the water on and stuck his hand in to feel when the water heated up. Ozzy came back and said Jacob was still fast asleep so he dropped his boxers again and stepped up behind Finn, hugging him from behind and kissing a path across his shoulders.

"I love you," Ozzy said, resting his chin on Finn's shoulder, "I've never been this happy before."

"Me too," Finn smiled and let his body sink back into Ozzy's, "I'm going to make sure we stay that way. I'll be seeing a doctor when we get back to London, to sort my head out."

"I know," Ozzy stepped back and kissed his shoulder again, "I'll be right there with you the whole way if you need me. Let's not talk about that now, though. Let's get cleaned up so we can change my bed and get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow."

"Zoo day," Finn grinned, "With my little man. I can't wait! I need to make sure I charge my phone while we're sleeping so I can get lots of video. He's so cute when he's excited!"

"He is that," Ozzy chuckled and stepped around Finn, into the shower. He held a hand out to Finn and pulled him in, then they both stood under the warm spray letting the water wash away the sweat and come on them. They took turns washing each other's body with a cloth, Finn bending over cheekily so Ozzy could get any come that was left around his arse, then after a quick shampoo and conditioning they got out, dried off, and dressed in fresh boxers. Finn stripped the bed and plugged his phone in while Ozzy got new sheets, then they made the bed together and got in, Ozzy on his back and Finn curled into his side with his head on his chest.

"Goodnight, baby. I love you," Ozzy whispered.

"I love you, too, pet." Finn said, his lips brushing a kiss right over his heart.

  
~~~

  
They got a bit of a late start the next morning. Finn and Ozzy were tired for obvious reasons so they slept in. Jacob had woken up and come in but he decided he wanted to cuddle with the two of them and when he did they all fell asleep again.

So now Finn was in the kitchen getting some cereal for himself and Jacob while Ozzy takes a shower. Finn had laughed at him because he had a shower before they went to bed but Ozzy had whined and said he can't start his day without a shower. It wakes him up.

The doorbell rang when they were halfway through their cereal and Finn got up to get it, Jacob hot on his heels. The twins were the same way when someone was at the door so he wasn't surprised.

When they got to the door and opened it, Finn recognized Ozzy's sister right away and stepped back to let her in with a smile on his face. Her kids were with her but they immediately went over to Jacob, the three of them excitedly talking about the Zoo.

"Finn," Rachel stood in front of him, a huge smile on her face. She lifted her arms to hug him and Finn hugged her back easily, "Its so, _so_ good to finally meet you in person."

"It's really good to meet you, too," Finn said as he stepped back and smiled down at her, "Your resemblance to Ozzy is even more obvious in person."

"Well my bro is a handsome dude so I thank you for the compliment," Rachel said laughing, "These munchkins here are my kids." She pointed to her children with Jacob, "Tyler and Megan."

Finn had met Tyler and Megan over Skype a few times. They were great kids who loved their little cousin and worshipped their Uncle Ozzy. Tyler had been showing some interest in footie over the past year and had been playing in school. Finn happily talked with him about it and answered any questions he had about the game. He was a bit confused at first about Finn calling it football. To him, football was a game with a quarterback and running backs, so Finn got in the habit of calling it Soccer whenever he spoke to Tyler.

"Hi, guys! It's nice to meet you," Finn said to them, holding out his fist to bump with Tyler's. He had to hold in a laugh when the boys eyes lit up and he bumped fists with Finn a bit harder than was necessary. Clearly the kid was excited.

"Hi, Finn!" Megan said loudly, her pigtails bouncing around on her head, "Uncle Ozzy said you were coming to visit. I'm glad."

"Well I'm glad, too, little miss," Finn grinned at the seven year old and gave her a high five, "I think we're all going to have a blast at the zoo today."

"Yeah!" All three kids yelled, making Finn and Rachel laugh.

"Jacob and I were just having some cereal in the kitchen. Have you had breakfast? I could make you something?" Finn offered to Rachel, "Of course you probably know your way around this house better than me so..."

Rachel laughed and wrapped an arm around Finn's waist as they all headed into the kitchen, "We already ate anyway. You and Jacob finish your cereal though. I'll help myself to some coffee. My brother made this right? I remember him saying you're more of a tea guy."

"I actually made it," Finn chuckled, "For him when he finishes in the shower. You're right about the tea."

"Oh well. I'll help myself to the first cup then," Rachel said as she got a cup from the cupboard and poured herself some coffee, "Ty? Meg? Want some juice while Jacob finishes his cereal?"

"Yes, please Mommy," Megan said, while Tyler shook his head no and took a seat next to Jacob. They immediately started talking about the animals at the Zoo and Finn thought it was sweet that the eight and four year old cousins got along so well. Of course Jacob would be five in a month but it was still a bit of an age difference.

Rachel got some juice for her daughter then she took a seat at the breakfast bar so Finn brought his cereal over there to join her, leaving the kids at the table to themselves. "So. You had a good flight and everything yesterday?"

"Yeah. It was all pretty normal," Finn said after he swallowed his mouthful of cereal.

Rachel took a sip of her coffee and nodded, "That's good. I have to tell you- I was so excited when Ozzy told me you wanted to take the fight all the way here just for a couple days. Not only because I've been dying to meet you but because it says a lot that you were willing to do that. With his career, he needs someone who is willing to meet him half way and make some sacrifices sometimes. It's not necessarily fair but it is what it is. Touring, promoting, it's a part of his job. You're willing to make those sacrifices for him. You _understand_. Probably because of your own father being in the same business. I just- thank you, Finn. Thank you for loving my brother enough to be willing to make some sacrifices. I can tell you right now- he's absolutely worth it."

Finn had finished eating while Rachel was talking and now he pushed his bowl aside so he could turn in his seat to face her and rest one elbow on the counter, "I agree he's worth it but- I don't really see anything I have to do as a sacrifice. If anything, _he's_ the one who's made a sacrifice for me. He moved to a completely different country so I could keep playing football and we could be together whenever he's not on tour. New York was his home and he was willing to leave here for me. I don't take that lightly. I'm going to do my best everyday to make him happy so that he never doubts he made the right decision."

Rachel beamed at him, her eyes glossy with tears, "You know what? I _know_ he made the right decision. All I have to do is look at his and Jacob's faces to know that. I'm just so happy. For both of you."

Finn barely had time to accept the hug Rachel gave him before Ozzy came walking into the kitchen with a smile on his face, "Hello! The gang's all here I see!"

"Hi, Uncle Ozzy!" Megan ran to her uncle and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug.

"Hello, beautiful!" Ozzy bent to pick her up, waltzing around the kitchen with her in his arms and making her giggle, "How are you this morning?"

"I'm good!" The little girl said through her giggles.

Ozzy put her down and went over to kiss the top of Jacob's head and ruffle Tyler's hair, "How about you boys? Excited for the Zoo?"

Both boys enthusiastically said yes and Ozzy chuckled at them, ruffling their hair one more time before walking over to the breakfast bar, "Hello my darling sister," Ozzy hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, "I see you've already met my boyfriend. Sorry I wasn't down to make proper introductions."

"I think we did just fine without you, Oz," Rachel laughed, "We are adults after all."

Ozzy stuck his tongue out at his sister then turned his attention to Finn, sliding his arms around Finn's neck from behind and kissing his cheek, "Hey you. I could smell the coffee when I got to the top of the stairs. Thanks for making it."

"You're welcome," Finn tipped his head back and turned his face so he could reach Ozzy's lips and kiss him. Ozzy kissed him back, smiling against his lips, until they heard a throat clear and they both turned to look at Rachel who was sitting there with a huge smirk on her face.

"You-"Ozzy stepped back from Finn and pointed a finger at his sister, "-are annoying."

Finn and Rachel both laughed while Ozzy went over to pour some coffee. He had some toast for his breakfast and they chatted for a bit while the kids went into the living room to play. When Ozzy and Rachel were done their coffee, they all got ready to go, Finn and Ozzy grabbing their phones and sunglasses since it was a sunny day, and Rachel instructing her kids and Jacob to put on some sunblock since they'd be outside in the sun a lot.

Once that was all done, they set off on foot since Ozzy only lived a few blocks from Central Park, the kids walking in front with Rachel while Ozzy and Finn walked behind them, their fingers linked and smiles on their faces. Finn loved it. He loved they could walk around in public holding hands now. They'd done it in London already and of course pictures of them ended up online. Rory had sent him links to Sugarscape to tease him but Finn turned the tables by pointing out that his brother clearly liked to look at the Sugarscape website. Finn really didn't care anyway. If people wanted to take pictures of them while they were out it was fine by him. As long as they could go about doing what they needed to do without getting harassed.

"Have you been to Central Park at all, Finn?" Rachel asked, hanging back a bit so she could walk with them while all three of them kept an eye on the kids so they didn't go too far ahead.

"I have. I remember when I was little we came here in the middle of December sometime. Before Christmas. When my Pop wasn't working he and my Dad took us to the park for a carriage ride. It was just me, Nori and Kate then. The twins and Ryanne weren't born yet." Finn said, smiling at the memory.

"Ah yes," Rachel said wistfully, "I love the park at Christmas time. Especially when there's a light snow falling."

"My sister loves Christmas," Ozzy said into his ear, chuckling a little bit when she rolled her eyes at him.

"My parents have always made a big deal out of Christmas. Our house is always decorated inside and out and as much family as we can fit comes to the house. I love it!" Finn explained.

"They sound like me. I make a big deal of it too. I love the atmosphere. Christmas carols playing, everyone rushing around to buy presents, the weather gets cold and we can have hot chocolate. I want my kids to grow up loving Christmas like I did," Rachel said.

"Oh man. You and my Pop could do some damage together," Finn laughed, "You've met him right?"

"If by Pop you mean Harry then yes, I met him on the set of 'The Voice'. We chatted a few times. I was helping with Jacob and I also had my own kids with me so he often played with them. It was obvious he loves kids. Makes sense since he has seven right?"

"Right, and I'm not convinced they're done either," Finn laughed, "They love kids, they're still fairly young and in good health so...I don't know. My Dad had said they were done because he doesn't want to be having babies when he's sixty but then my Pop wears him down with his dimples and that's it."

Rachel threw her head back in laughter and poked Ozzy in the side, "My brother has dimples. Are you like your Dad? Will you not be able to resist?"

Finn lifted a hand and brushed a thumb over one of Ozzy's dimples since he was smiling, "I don't know. He hasn't used them on me yet. You have them too. How does your husband do?"

"Oh I get whatever I want," Rachel waved her hand around dismissively, "He never stood a chance."

They all laugh then Rachel heads back up to stop an argument between the three kids. Finn and Ozzy continue their small talk about random things as they walk toward the Zoo. Finn asks questions about stuff and Ozzy answers. It's very nice and relaxing. Low key.

After twenty minutes they arrive at the Zoo and Ozzy buys tickets for everyone, immediately stopping Finn and Rachel from protesting, and he also gets a few maps of the park and information on the animals.

"Okay guys. Eyes and ears on me," Rachel says to the kids, "Do not wander off. Keep me, Ozzy or Finn in your sites at all times. Keep your fingers to yourself and not near any fences unless we tell you it's okay, do not yell because it might scare the animals, do not run for the same reason and also because it's dangerous, and do not talk to strangers if they come up to ask you questions. Especially if they're about Ozzy or Finn. Got it?"

"Okay, Mommy!" Tyler and Megan say while Jacob says "Okay Auntie Rachel!"

"So. Since Finn is our guest, how about we let him pick what we see first? Does that sound cool?" Rachel asked the kids.

Finn opened his mouth to say that wasn't necessary but the kids all lit up and got excited. "Yeah, Finny!!!" Jacob cheered, "What animals do you want to see first?"

Finn had a look at the book that showed all the animals in the zoo and was immediately intrigued by the Snow Leopards, "I think I'd like to see the Snow Leopards. They look beautiful."

"Wow! They do. I didn't even know we had those here. Jacob has never seen them before. What do you think, Jakey? Want to go see the Snow Leopards?" Ozzy asked his son.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Jacob, Megan, and Tyler all shouted, jumping up and down on the spot.

"Alright," Rachel chuckled and consulted the map, "Looks like it's this way. Follow me kiddos. Don't wander off."

Finn laughed and put his arm around Ozzy, holding him close while they walked. Ozzy put his own arm around Finn's waist, his fingers sliding into the back pocket of Finn's shorts. They definitely looked like a loved up couple but that's okay because that's exactly what they were. He really didn't care who saw or who took a picture.

"I like the way your sister takes charge and leads the way," Finn said into Ozzy's ear, getting a chuckle from his boyfriend, "She's like my Pop. He always takes charge and my Dad just follows along. Like you and I are doing right now."

"Which is totally fine by me. I like letting my sister take charge. She loves it and I get to relax with you. Plus Jacob worships her as you can see," Ozzy laughed.

"I can definitely see," Finn laughed, "By the way, are you having fun feeling up my butt in public?"

"Oh yeah," Ozzy turned his face into Finn's neck and gently bit down, "I'm quite enjoying it."

"We're going to be all over the internet. Rory is gonna have a field day," Finn giggled.

"We probably already are. I noticed one girl with her phone pointed at us. Don't be surprised if people ask us for selfies." Ozzy said.

"I don't mind. As long as they don't bother your sister and the kids. I know you don't mind Jacob's picture online because you post your own pics on Twitter but I don't want a crowd around him or your niece and nephew. They might get scared," Finn said.

"Awwww," Ozzy cooed in his ear, "You're so protective. You sound just like a Dad right now. I love you for that."

Finn ducked his head in hopes of hiding the blush on his cheeks. He'd never say it out loud this soon in their relationship but the truth is, he would love to be Jacob's Dad someday. Would love to help raise him and do all the things a Dad does like bringing him to school and picking him up, teaching him football and other sports, helping out at school and going on field trips, tucking him into bed at night, teaching him to drive when he gets older. The list just goes on and on. He loves that little boy and would do anything for him. It's an amazing, yet terrifying feeling all at the same time.

"Here we are," Rachel's voice cut through his thoughts, "The Snow Leopards."

Finn looked up and immediately was in awe. He stepped away from Ozzy and closer to the fence, watching the very large, cat like animal as it wandered around its terrain. They were almost a white/golden colour (kind of like a Labrador retriever) with large black spots, "Oh my God," Finn whispered, "Ozzy...they're beautiful. Look at them! They're so big. Their paws are as big as my head and look at that one's eyes! They're a greyish/blue colour."

"They are pretty gorgeous. It says here on the plaque that when hunting prey they can jump twenty to thirty feet through the air. Now that would be something to see. Preferably from somewhere safe where it can't eat me," Ozzy chuckled.

"Finny!" Jacob came over to him and held his arms up, indicating he wanted Finn to pick him up. Finn smiled and did just that, kissing him on the cheek when he was settled on his hip, "They're very big cats, Finny."

"I know!" Finn gushed, "Aren't they pretty?"

"Yes. Very pretty. I want to cuddle one," Jacob said.

"We definitely can't do that," Finn chuckled, "On the way out we can stop in the gift shop, though. I bet they sell stuffed toys like the Snow Leopard. Would you like me to get you one?"

"Yes, please, Finny!" Jacob said happily, leaning in to kiss Finn's cheek.

"Turn around, you two. Let me get a picture of you with the big cats in the background," Ozzy said, holding his phone up.

Finn turned around with Jacob in his arms and they both smiled big for the camera. Afterward, Rachel took the phone and took a picture of the three of them together, then Ozzy took a picture of her with her two kids. They were about to move onto the next exhibit when a young girl about Finn's age came up to them.

"Hello," She said, a shy smile on her face, "Would you like me to take a picture of all of you together?"

"Oh!" Finn stopped and smiled at her. He hadn't thought of getting a picture of all of them together. He'd really like that actually, "I wouldn't mind that actually. What's your name, love?"

"I'm Kelsey," The girl said, holding out her hand to shake Finn's.

"Hello, Kelsey. I guess you're here from England visiting like I am?" Finn asked, immediately having noticed her accent.

"Yes! I start uni in September. I've spent my gap year traveling around everywhere. This is my last stop then home," She said.

"Oh! By yourself?" Finn asked incredulously.

"It started out that way but along the way I met tons of other people doing the same thing and while in the same places we traveled together. It's been an amazing experience. Anddddd," She pulled her phone out and went into the music app, scrolling down through her playlists until she found one and turned it around to show them, "Your album has come with me along the way." She said to Ozzy.

Ozzy stepped forward to shake her hand, a huge smile on his face, "No kidding? So you've been traveling around the world rocking out to my music?"

Kelsey laughed and put her phone back in her pocket, "I was! You and a bunch of my other faves. I'm looking forward to this new album you're putting out. I need some new music for when I'm studying."

"Well your wish is my command! New album in November," Ozzy said.

"So you don't mind taking our picture?" Finn asked her, holding out his phone with the camera open.

"Nope, not at all," She smiled.

Finn, Ozzy and Rachel stood up in front of the fence with the Snow Leopards in the background behind them, while the kids kneeled down in front of them. They all smiled wide and Kelsey took a few pictures of them then gave the phone back so Finn could see them.

"These are great. Thank you so much for doing this," Finn smiled.

"You're very welcome," She smiled back, "So...tell me to piss off if you want but I was wondering if I could get a picture with the both of you? I'm a fan of both of you. I actually was before you came out as a couple so I was quite excited when you did," She laughed, "Now I'm not a Chelsea fan I'm sorry to say. I'm from Birmingham so I support my own team BUT I'm enough of a footie fan to know and respect a great player when I see one and I will definitely be wearing a Horan jersey someday when you represent us on the English National Team."

"I'll totally be right there with you! We can be the first two members of the Horan fan club." Ozzy said while laughing.

"Oh my God," Finn rolled his eyes and shoved Ozzy playfully, "You're ridiculous." Then he turned back to Kelsey, "We'd be happy to take a picture with you."

Rachel offered to take the picture so Kelsey gave her her phone and they got a few pictures together. Some normal ones and some with funny faces. It was fun. Finn really enjoyed talking to Kelsey. If all fans could be as calm and cool as her it would be awesome. Unfortunately he knew it wasn't like that. He'd heard stories from his parents about fans hiding in bins outside of arenas, pretending to work for his management company or record label, chasing his tour bus in their cars, all just to see his Pop. He's not fooling himself that it would be any different for Ozzy.

"Thank you all so much," Kelsey shook his, Ozzy and Rachel's hands. "It was really nice to meet you all. Oh and hey, I'm going to school in London so maybe we'll meet again! Take care."

They said goodbye to her then they gathered the kids from looking at the Snow Leopards and discussed where to go next. The kids wanted to see the Grizzly Bears and then the Snow Monkey's so that's where they decided to go next.

"I'm really liking this day," Finn said to Ozzy as they linked hands again to walk to the next exhibit.

"Me too, baby, and there'll be a lot more to come over the next week," Ozzy smiled at him.

Finn couldn't wait.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Everyone!
> 
> Well I promised some Narry and Narry you will get! I know I just posted a chapter three days ago but I wanted to post this as soon as I finished as a thank you for commenting and letting me know if I should continue. This whole chapter is Narry and it will continue into the next chapter as well. I really wanted to make it good since there hasn't been a whole lot of Narry in the story recently. I hope I succeeded. Please let me know what you think :)
> 
> Enjoy!

 

 

  
Harry walked into the house with three bags of groceries in his arms and a smile on his face. There was nothing special going on to make him smile or anything. He was always just happy to come home and know his husband and children would be there.

He carried the groceries into the kitchen and was surprised to see Louis sitting at the table with Niall, "Hey, Lou. Didn't know you were coming over."

"No. It's part of my plan. I catch you unaware so I can kidnap your children," Louis said, a very serious look on his face.

"Oh I see," Harry hummed and put the bags down on the counter, "You just decided to have a cup of tea while you were at it?"

"Well," Louis huffed and tipped his head back, staring up at the ceiling exasperated, "Your husband practically forced me. He was desperate for tea and some company. Told me he was abandoned by his husband."

Niall was losing it with laughter at this point and Harry couldn't help but laugh himself and shake his head at Louis. He was crazy sometimes, "Well I'm sorry he forced you into tea. I guess I'll have to suck his dick more than once a day so he doesn't feel so abandoned."

Louis dramatically threw his arms up in the air then slammed them down on the table and hid his face against his arms, "Why??? Why does everything _always_ come back to sex with you? It's like you're fucking deprived or something when I _know_ you're not. I've fucking heard you enough."

"Jesus Christ," Niall guffawed, "You make it too fucking easy, mate."

"You really do, Lou," Harry chuckled. He walked over to Niall and gave him a quick kiss then sat down at the table across from Louis, "So what really brings you here?"

Louis stood up from the table and looked toward the patio doors, "I'll let your husband explain. I'll go outside and play with the kiddos."

When Louis was outside and closed the door behind him, Harry turned to Niall, a bewildered look on his face, "What's going on?"

"Nothing bad, darlin'" Niall chuckled, "Don't worry. I've just come up with a plan. I'm back to work on Monday you remember?"

"Yeah. I always hate when you go back to work after vacation or paternity leave. I get used to having you around so much," Harry smiled sadly.

"I know, darlin'. I've planned a long weekend for us, though. It's Wednesday now. We'll leave first thing in the morning and have four days completely alone together," Niall explained, an excited look on his face, "And before you say anything about the kids, I've got it covered. Nori isn't back from Africa until next week, Finn is in New York, Kate is happily going to stay with Gemma, Louis is here right now because he's taking the twins, and Ryanne is staying with Rory. He and Anna are going to bring the kids and stay here starting tomorrow. That way all of Ryanne's stuff is here. They don't have a nursery or anything set up yet because it's too early in the pregnancy."

Harry sat stunned for a moment, completely taken by surprise, "Wow," He murmured after a moment, "This is-this is unexpected."

"I know," Niall chuckled, "I really only thought of it a couple days ago. I've been scrambling to set something up so I could surprise you. Even if it was just staying right here in our house I wanted us to have some time alone before I go back to work. Our lives will be busy this fall. You've got the show, I'll be working, the kids will all be busy with school and extra curricular activities. We'll make time for each other, we always do, but it won't be four full days completely alone."

"God!" Harry threw his head back and groaned, "Four full days with you and nobody else. I love our children to death but Niall, that sounds amazing. What do you have planned?"

Niall stood up from his chair and plopped himself down on Harry's lap instead, sliding his arms around Harry's neck and kissing him softly, "I have total isolation planned. We are driving the two hours to Suffolk and I've rented a perfect little cottage for two at the Wilderness Reserve in Sibton. I've seen pictures. The cottage is surrounded by meadows and behind it is all woodland so we can take long walks in the trees. There's trails to follow apparently. It'll be so quiet."

Harry kissed along Niall's jaw, playfully nibbling and making Niall giggle. The little giggle that only Harry got to hear because Harry's the only person Niall completely let his guard down with, "Baby. That sounds perfect. Being outside with you in the fresh air all day, then in bed with you all night. God can we leave now?"

Niall tipped his head back and laughed, "Not quite. Kate and the twins will be gone tonight, though, so once Ryanne is in bed we can start our holiday in our bedroom."

"Ohhhhh. Even though we're just going to Suffolk, I'm going to make Piña Coladas and put on tropical music so we can dance," Harry said, an excited grin on his face.

Niall laughed so hard this time, his body pitched forward and Harry had to catch him before he fell off his lap, "Whatever you want, darlin'." Niall managed to say through his laughter, "We can put our swim shorts on and I'll even put on the lei we got when we went to Hawaii."

Harry hummed and put a finger on his chin like he was thinking, "How about...just the lei?"

Niall pulled him in close, their lips inches apart, "Naughty boy. I like the way you think," Niall murmured, then he kissed him and Harry sank into it, his tongue tangling with Niall's in a prelude of what was to come over the next four days.

"Oh look, boys. Your parents are snogging again," Louis' voice sounded through the kitchen, interrupting what was a very delicious kiss.

"What's snogging?" Matty asked completely innocently, his clear, blue eyes looking up at Louis for an answer.

" _That_ ," Louis snorted, pointing at Harry and Niall, "Exactly what your parents were just doing."

"Oh," Matty says thoughtfully, at the same time Charlie says, "So what? They do that all the time."

"I'm sincerely sorry that you have to witness that my little lads. Sincerely sorry," Louis said while shaking his head sadly.

"Why?" Charlie looked bewildered, "We see you and Auntie Jenn snogging all the time too."

Harry and Niall both roared with laughter while Louis squawked and scolded the boys for betraying him. Charlie and Matty simply shrugged and walked over to their parents. Niall got back in his own seat and lifted Charlie up on his lap while Harry lifted Matty up on his.

"Our boys!" Niall cooed, "So smart and always on our side."

"Menaces! The four of you!" Louis scowled and folded his arms across his chest.

"Are you sure you boys want to stay with him for a long weekend?" Harry asked, making the boys giggle.

"Yes!" Matty looked up at Harry, his blue eyes sparkling. Harry fucking adored him, "We can handle Uncle Louis!"

"Oh this just keeps getting better and better!" Niall laughed, slapping his hand down on the table.

"Excuse you! We'll see how well you can handle me this weekend!" Louis says, obviously trying to keep the grin off his face. He loved this as much as the twins did, "Now. Do you two brats have your bags packed?"

"Yes!" They both cheered.

"I helped them pack. Everything they need is in their bags but if they need or want something you've got a key to the house. Rory will be here anyway," Niall explained.

"Thank you for doing this, Lou. This time away before school and the show starts will be a blessing. Especially with Niall going back to work," Harry says, thanking his best friend sincerely.

"Don't even mention it. You know I'd take these brats anytime. We love them like we love our own," Louis smiled, "Speaking of my own kids - they are very excited that Charlie and Matty are coming over. They got us to agree to Pizza Hut for dinner so if you two little munchkins want pizza you better go get your bags."

Charlie and Matty both cheered loudly and took off from their parents laps and out of the kitchen to get their bags. The three adults laughed as they watched them go, then Louis turned back to Harry, "Did Ni tell you what I named your vacation?"

"Oh God. Not again. Please," Niall put his forehead down on the table and groaned, "I can't un-see the first time."

Harry looked on with an amused smile as Louis got up from the table and started dancing and gyrating while singing an old Janet Jackson song from the 1980's called "Escapade" except he changed it to "Sexcapade"

Come on baby let's get away  
Let's save your troubles for another day  
Come go with me we've got it made  
Let me take you on a sexcapade

Sex-ca-pade  
We'll have a good time  
Sex-ca-pade  
Leave your worries behind  
Sex-ca-pade  
You can be mine  
Sex-ca-pade  
A Sexcapade

Harry was howling with laughter as Louis strutted around the kitchen like an idiot. He had to admit it was a clever edit to the song and it certainly fit what he and Niall were going to be doing.

Niall, meanwhile, was sitting at the other end of the table, his head propped up by his arm on the table, while he watched Louis and very obviously was trying not to give him the satisfaction by laughing. Unfortunately for Niall, he laughed at everything. He was a serial laugher and Harry always loved that about him because he had the best most contagious laugh. It was hard not to laugh when Niall was laughing.

"As my people say in Ireland - you're a fecking eejit Louis," Niall said through his laughter, "But I fucking love ya anyway."

"Awwwww, Niall,"Louis dropped himself down onto Niall's lap and planted a big, wet kiss on his cheek, "I love you, too. You're my favourite Irishman."

Niall shook his head and wiped at his cheek with his hand, "I'm your only Irishman. Unless you're cheating on me. Now get your big arse off me."

"You're just discriminating against my arse because it's not small and pale like Harry's. I have lovely tan skin that you two only wish you had," Louis said, pulling up his shirt to show off his stomach.

"Honest to God, Harry. Where did you find this person? You already had him when I met you. _Where_ did you find him?" Niall asked Harry.

Harry crossed one leg over the other and sat back in his chair thinking, "Well. When I signed with my label and got a managing firm, the senior execs thought their junior rep would be a perfect fit for me since we weren't far off in age. So they set me up with Louis but I don't know where _they_ found him."

"Oh you can fuck right off you curly haired twat!" Louis said as he lunged at Harry and sat on his lap while putting him in a head lock.

Harry squawked and grabbed on to Louis, knocking them both to the floor where they continued to wrestle. The twins came down and jumped on top of them and by the time they stopped they were both red faced from laughing so hard and Louis was groaning that he was too old to be on the floor.

"Matty, Charlie, take a good look at your Papa and Uncle Louis and remember this when you're wondering how to behave as an adult. This is not how you behave as an adult. Do not do this," Niall said, waving his hand around in the vicinity of Harry and Louis.

Louis grumbled again then got up off the floor and helped Harry up, "Ready boys?"

"Yes!" The boys said in unison.

"Come here my babies," Harry pulled them both into his body and hugged them close, "I love you. Be good, yeah? And have fun."

"I love you, Papa. Have fun on your holiday with daddy," Matty said sweetly, making Harry coo at him and pull him in for another hug. Charlie had already said a quick 'love you too' and moved on to Niall.

"I love you little munchkins," Niall hugged them both, "Louis, you have everything you need. We'll have our phones with us but don't call unless it's an emergency, yeah?

"I know the drill, Horan. We're going to have a great time. Your kids probably won't even want to come home after this weekend," Louis said with a smirk on his face.

Niall simply rolled his eyes at him and kissed the twins one last time before they both grabbed their bags and ran for the front door, Louis trailing after them. Harry and Niall followed, thanking Louis again and standing in the doorway so they could wave as Louis drove away.

"I'm gonna miss my little babies," Harry sighed as he closed the front door behind him, "They'll be seven next week. Seven, Niall! I swear it was just yesterday our little twins were crawling around and learning to walk. I'd catch one of them crawling away and by the time I'd turn around the other one was into something. Our babies grow up too fast."

"Come here," Niall took Harry's hand and led him into the living room where they sat with their legs tangled together on the couch, "Time does go fast doesn't it? You know what I had a dream about last night? The day right before New Year's when I came to your house to meet you for the first time in person."

"Really?" Harry smiled at Niall and picked up one of his hands so he could play with his fingers, "I was already falling in love with you then. I couldn't really admit it to myself because Jack hadn't even been gone for a full year yet. I was, though, and I can still remember how it felt when you walked through my door and hugged me for the first time."

Niall leaned forward and pressed his lips to Harry's gently, "You were in a lot of pain back then. I could feel it. I was falling in love with you, too. I had only been in love once before, with Aiden, but this was so different. It consumed me, it was so strong and it was like your pain filled me too. I remember feeling so helpless. I wanted to help you but at the same time not cross any lines either. I needed to just be your friend but it was so hard."

Harry took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, "It was rough wasn't it? We ended up fighting our way through it though. We got through it together and built a great life. I'm pretty damn proud of us."

Niall laughed and moved himself over so he was straddling Harry's lap, "I'm proud of us, too. I'm especially proud of how we've managed to stay hot for each other after twenty-five years."

Harry grabbed onto Niall's hips and squeezed gently, "That part was easy," He grinned, "I have a husband who is very sexy and who is very talented in the bedroom."

Niall grinned and rolled his hips over Harry's crotch, ducking his head down to mouth at Harry's neck, "Kate won't be home for a couple hours. Ryanne is asleep. How about I give you a little preview of what's on the menu for this weekend?"

"What did you have in mind?" Harry asked, licking his lips as he let his eyes wander over Niall's face and down over his neck where Harry loved to leave bruises over the moles there. He continued on down over Niall's chest and the hair that was peaking out over the top of his t-shirt. Harry knew very well that underneath the shirt a trail of hair continued down between his abs until it disappeared past the waistband of his jeans. It was a weakness for Harry. The facial hair and chest hair made Niall rugged and manly. Harry's favourite kind of man.

"Come upstairs with me and I'll show you," Niall climbed off Harry's lap and held out a hand to pull him up from the couch. Harry took it and Niall led the way upstairs into their bedroom, locking the door behind them, "I have many plans for us this weekend. Take your shirt off for me darlin'"

Harry didn't have to be asked twice. He pulled his shirt off over his head and left it on the floor then waited for Niall to tell him what to do next. Except Niall had disappeared into their walk in closet. Harry furrowed his brow in confusion and was about to ask Niall what he was doing when Niall emerged from the closet with one of his ties and...oh God one of their vibrators. Niall was going to tie his hands up and fuck him with the vibrator!

Harry swallowed thickly and felt arousal immediately pool in his stomach. His cock twitched in his pants and he licked his lips in anticipation. Niall was good at this, so fucking good at bringing him to the edge again and again until Harry came so hard he saw nothing but black for a second.

"Want to get on the bed for me?" Niall asked him, a smirk on his face as he twirled the tie around in his hand.

Harry snorted and practically threw himself back on the bed, "Is that a serious question, Niall Horan? Do I _want_ to get on the bed for you?"

Niall didn't answer immediately. The smirk grew on his face and he walked over to Harry, making sure their pillows were propped up against the headboard, then he tied Harry's hands behind his back with the tie and made sure he was sitting up with his back against the pillows, "Your hands aren't squat behind you are they?" Harry shook his head no, "Good. Now. To answer your question - when you realize what's about to happen you _might_ not have been so eager for me to tie you up."

Harry was confused. There was never a time he didn't want Niall to tie him up. He loved it. Especially when there were bruises afterward. They were always careful with it because of the kids. Niall would always leave bruises where they would be hidden, unless they were on vacation together without the kids for awhile. Then Harry would ask him to leave bruises on his arms or wrists. He just had to wear long sleeves if they went out somewhere. If anyone thought for one second Niall was abusing him it would devastate both of them because Niall was actually a gentle man. He would never hurt anyone, least of all Harry.

"I can see you're confused," Niall climbed on the bed and up next to Harry, unbuttoning his jeans and shimmying them down his legs. He threw them on the floor, leaving Harry in his boxers, then crawled up between Harry's legs and kissed him long and slow, teasing him by only slipping his tongue into his mouth a little bit. Every time Harry tried to deepen the kiss, Niall would move back and bite down on Harry's lip playfully, making Harry moan softly and wish for more. "Don't worry, though, darlin', you'll get to come by the time I'm through with you. Just not the way you're thinking."

Niall got off the bed and took his phone from his pocket, docking it on the bedside table and turning on some sexy R&B music. Harry held his breath, wondering if Niall was going to start dancing for him. Niall was a great dancer. He could pick up any beat and shimmy his hips to it, swaying his pert little ass perfectly. Whenever they dance together, Harry usually fit his body behind Niall's, his large hands on Niall's hips as Niall moves his hips to the rhythm of a song. It doesn't take long for Harry to get hard and for his cock to be digging into Niall's arse.

Sure enough as the beat picked up in the song, Niall turned his back to Harry and started to sway his hips from side to side while looking back at Harry over his shoulder. Harry followed his every move with his eyes, his teeth digging in to his bottom lip and his breath hitching when Niall pulled his shirt off over his head and Harry saw the way the muscles rippled in his back.

"I like this song," Niall murmured as he turned around and slowly undid the button on his jeans. He let the jeans hang low on his hips with just the Calvin Klein visible on the waistband of his underwear. He ran his index finger up over his abs, bringing attention to the trail of hair that disappeared into his underwear. Harry wanted to bury his face in Niall's stomach and lick all the way up to his chest. "It's got a good beat doesn't it? Perfect for moving your hips to."

Harry tried to speak but his voice got stuck in his throat so he had to stop to clear it, "Yeah. Yeah you - you move your hips so good."

"Do I?" Niall asked, a look of innocence on his face, his eyes wide, "Why thank you, darlin'. I do enjoy dancing."

Harry's cock was beginning to ache as it fattened up in his boxers. He wanted so badly to slip his hand in and tug on it slowly, working himself up while his husband swayed his hips back and forth in front of him. He couldn't, though. His hands were tied. Niall was devious and so fucking hot. He knew exactly how to get to Harry.

Niall turned his body again and slowly started to push his jeans down, sticking his bum out a bit so Harry could get a good look at it in his tight, black boxers. When he kicked the jeans away from him he made sure to wiggle his bum a bit, knowing full well how much Harry loved his arse, then he turned around to face Harry again, showing off the semi in his boxers. Niall was turned on by this too. Harry wasn't surprised. Niall loved that Harry loved his body so much. There were parts of it he had been a bit self conscious about when Harry first met him but Harry soon cured him of that by loving every inch of his body over and over again until he ended up with the very confident man that stood in front of him now, swinging his hips around with a smirk on his face.

"You look so good, baby," Harry said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah?" Niall ran a hand down over his chest and slowly slid it down the front of his boxers to grab his cock. He moaned low in his throat, the sound going right to Harry's cock, "I feel good, too. How about you darlin'?"

"I feel really good," Harry said, biting down hard on his lip as he watched Niall's hand jerking his own cock in his boxers, "I'd feel even better if you came over here and touched me."

"Mmm," Niall hummed, his hips jerking a bit as he pleased himself, "I could but then I'd have to stop touching myself and I really, really, can't do that right now. Feels too good. I get pretty hard when I have you all tied up for me."

Harry needed to touch himself. Right now. He was so hard, yet couldn't do anything about it. He jerked his hips a bit, circling his hips around trying to get any movement but it didn't do much - only made Niall grin even more.

"Think maybe I'll get those boxers off you," Niall murmured as he crawled on the bed like a predator and planted himself in between Harry's legs, "Hi, darlin'. Want me to take these off you?"

"God, yes," Harry practically begged.

"Okay," Niall said, then he kissed Harry's lips, his jaw, his neck, over his collarbone, his chest, his nipple, down over his abs and the trail of hair that led into his boxers, then he grabbed onto the waistband of Harry's boxers with his teeth and started to haul them down. Harry quickly lifted his bum to help him and soon Niall had them down around his thighs and used his hands to pull them the rest of the way off, "You're so hard for me, darlin'"

"Yeah," Harry swallowed hard and nodded his head quickly, "Yeah. For you. I need you."

Niall looked up at him, his eyes dark with desire, "It's so fucking hot how turned on you get by me. Wanna see more of that."

Harry didn't know what he meant by that and he didn't care at the moment because Niall was standing up by the bed again and opening the drawer to get the lube. He shimmied his boxers off and stood in front of Harry with his cock hard and proudly on display, "Now, I know what you've been thinking. That I'm going to fuck you with this lovely vibrator right here," Niall held up the green vibrator and Harry nodded with wide eyes, "Well you thought wrong. You see, when the twins were busy watching the telly, I came up here to prep a bit so I'd be ready and-" Niall slipped a hand between his legs and slid two fingers easily into his ass, "- yep. Looks like I'm still ready to go."

"What?" Harry looked at Niall, confused. He was so hard and his husband was fingering himself. He couldn't think straight. He had no idea what was happening. Then Niall got back on the bed and straddled him, his cock bobbing right in front of Harry. He started to lube up the vibrator and when he began to lower it between his own legs it all started to make sense to Harry. Niall was fucking himself while practically sitting on top of Harry and making him watch, "Oh fuck."

The vibrator disappeared between Niall's legs and up inside him, the sight making the arousal explode inside of Harry's stomach. His cock throbbed and precome leaked out from the head. He needed to touch himself so badly but he couldn't. "Niallllll," He whined, his voice coming out strangled.

"Oh fuck, Harry," Niall threw his head back and moaned when he turned the vibrator on. His hips started to move in slow circles as the vibrator vibrated inside him and he was _right_ _on_ _top_ _of_ _Harry_.

"Oh my God!" Harry cried out, his voice rough with desire, "Niall. Oh my God you look so good. Let me touch you. Oh God I need - I need -"

"Yeah. Fuck, yeah," Niall moved his hips faster, completely ignoring Harry as he fucked himself. His hand wrapped around his cock and he started to jerk himself off, all the while still right in front of Harry's face.

Harry watched, his eyes never leaving Niall's body as he struggled to get his hands free. He was so worked up, so turned on, and so fucking hard his cock was red. He needed his hands free but he didn't know if he wanted to touch himself or his husband more?

"Fuck, Harry," Niall panted as his hand sped up on his cock, "You have no idea how good you look. I'm pretending it's your cock inside me, so big and so full. Fuck, I'm gonna come all over you."

Harry whined and circled his hips frantically off the bed even though there was nothing for him to rub off of. He was so close to coming himself and he hadn't even been touched!

Niall moaned loudly and fucked himself harder with the vibrator, his hand frantically moving over his cock. When his thighs tightened around Harry's and he threw his head back and shouted, Harry knew he was about to come and sure enough he soon felt Niall's come spurting over his stomach.

Harry closed his eyes and shouted as well, the last vision in his mind being that of the vibrator pounding into Niall, before he came, completely untouched, tiny pinpricks of light exploding behind his eyelids.

The next thing he remembers is Niall's calm, soothing voice talking to him and Niall's lips on his cheek and along his jaw. He struggled to open his eyes so he could see his husband and when he did he smiled dopily at him and whispered, "Am I dead?"

Niall laughed one of his loud, infectious laughs that made Harry grin even wider and look at him like he hung the moon, "No you're very much alive, darlin'. How are you feeling? Are your wrists okay?"

Harry rolled his head to the side on the pillow and looked up into Niall's gorgeous blue eyes. He started giggling then reached up to pull Niall into a kiss, "I feel fantastic! Like jello!"

Niall buried his face in Harry's neck and laughed, "What am I going to do with you? I love you so much."

"What are you going to do with me? How about whatever you just finished doing to me? Fuck, Niall. That's - is our sex life supposed to be getting even _hotter_ as we get older?" Harry asked, his voice full of awe, "I love you, too, by the way."

Niall laughed again and pushed himself up into a sitting position, "All I know is you make me just as hot as you always have and there's nobody else in this world I'd feel comfortable with doing half the stuff I've done with you."

"You trust me completely," Harry whispered, a small smile on his lips, "That means a lot to me."

"I do. I've never done a striptease for any of my partners before . Only for you," Niall admitted.

"Good because I'd be really fucking jealous if you had," Harry said.

"Well nobody but you will ever get to see it," Niall promised, "Now, let's get cleaned up before Ryanne wakes up and Kate gets home for dinner."

Harry reluctantly got up, with some help from Niall because of his legs feeling like jello, and they took a quick shower together. Once they were done, Niall went to get Ryanne while Harry cleaned their toy and put it back in its locked hiding place. His mortification would know no bounds if Charlie or Matty came walking downstairs one day with one of their toys in their hands so he and Niall kept them in their closet in a box that could only be opened with the passcode.

When Harry was done he found Niall downstairs warming a bottle for their daughter and cooing at her which made her giggle, "There's my baby girl," Harry smiled wide when he saw her and came up behind Niall to kiss her on the nose, "How's my little girl, hmm? Gosh, you get more beautiful everyday."

"She certainly does," Niall agreed with a smile. He held her against his chest and pressed his cheek to her cheek while swaying back and forth, "She looks more like her Papa everyday. She may have brown eyes instead of green but they're wide like yours and the same shape. She's going to be gorgeous when she grows up."

"What about me?" Kate walked into the room then, greeting Harry, Niall and Ryanne with kisses on the cheek.

"You're already gorgeous," Harry grabbed her to him and wrapped her up in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet, "Look just like your daddy."

"Can't complain about that," Kate said, laughing when Harry put her back down on her feet, "Narry fans everywhere think Dad's hot so I guess I'm hot too."

Niall groaned as he walked over to the table to sit down and feed Ryanne her bottle, "You spend too much time with your Aunt Gemma. She was unofficial President of the Narry fan club back in the day."

"Actually..." Kate sat down across from Niall and looked between him and Harry, "I want to run something by you if I can."

"Of course, baby," Harry sat down at the table next to Niall and gave her his full attention.

"Okay so, I know I've been going on and on about fashion for years now and saying I'm going to be a designer but lately I've been _really_ putting serious thought into it. I pick Aunt Gemma's brain all the time and she lets me help her with her fashion blog. I've also talked to some of her friends and I really think this is what I want to do with my life. I know I won't be fifteen for a couple more months so it's a bit early to be bringing up uni but - what do you think? I don't know what design school will cost or anything. Obviously I'd have to look into my options and work really hard so I can get into the best school but if I do, would you guys be okay with paying for it?" Kate asked, her face full of hesitant excitement and a bit of nervousness.

"Sunshine," Niall snorted a laugh, "Your Pop is Mr. Moneybags. Whatever school costs, I'm sure we can handle it."

"Excuse you!" Harry turned to glare at Niall, " _We_ are Mr. Moneybags. Not just me. It's _our_ money and yes, baby, we will pay for your school no matter what you want to do. As long as you're happy."

"Exactly. Whatever you want, Sunshine. If you're still passionate about this when the time comes, we'll support you one hundred percent," Niall confirmed, a soft smile on his face for his little girl.

"Oh thank you!!" Kate gushed and stood up to come around the table to hug them. She hugged Niall carefully so she didn't disturb Ryanne then she threw herself onto Harry's lap and hugged him so tight she nearly choked him, "I love you guys so much. You're the absolute best!"

"We love you, too, baby girl," Harry laughed, "Were you expecting us to say no?"

"Not really," Kate stayed on Harry's lap but pulled back from their hug so she could look at him, "I just know some people consider fashion and design to be frivolous and not the best way to make a career for yourself. It's not traditional like becoming a doctor, lawyer or accountant or something. Some parents wouldn't be as supportive as you are."

"I can see that," Niall nodded thoughtfully, "Since I first met your Pop I've learned a lot about different industries, fashion being one of them. It can be hard to break into but once you do you can create quite the name for yourself. You're really lucky because you have connections from Gemma, Jenn, and your Pop."

"That's true!" Harry said, "I never thought of that. I've met a lot of designers and other people over the past thirty years. I can get into contact with some people and see about you meeting them and following them, getting a feel for how things work. You have two years before uni but in the meantime it doesn't hurt to learn."

Kate opened her mouth like she was about to shriek but decided against it when she remembered four month old Ryanne right next to her, "Pop...thank you, thank you, thank you."

Harry held his girl in his arms and kissed her cheek, "You're very welcome, baby. Just remember all I'm doing is making introductions. The rest will be up to you."

Not long after their conversation, Harry got up to start dinner for the three of them while Niall and Kate played with Ryanne in the living room. Harry would wander in every now and again when he would hear their infectious laughter and Ryanne's baby giggling, a fond smile on his face and a heart full of love as he watched a small portion of his family together.

Then later, after they had dinner together and hugged Kate goodbye when Gemma came to pick her up, after they spent some time with Ryanne giving her a bath and singing her to sleep, Harry made those Piña Colada's and put on some tropical music in their living room so they could dance together. It made no sense since they were going to Suffolk and Suffolk was the least tropical place on earth, but Harry didn't care. They were alone together and they were really happy and if that meant Harry wanted to sip on tropical drinks and dance around like an idiot with his husband, so be it.

  
~~~

  
Despite their late night, Harry and Niall were awake by seven the next morning. They had to pack for the trip since they spent the night before laughing and dancing around like idiots. Then there was the part where Niall took Harry apart again, this time without toys or a tie. It was just the two of them and their bodies connected from head to toe as Niall fucked him slowly until they both came.

So now they were rushing around a little bit but they didn't care. They'd be in Suffolk by lunch time, surrounded by nothing but the clean air, the trees and each other.

Rory arrived just before nine like he said he would, surprising Harry and Niall with his black eye. "Jesus Christ! What happened to you?" Niall rushed up to him to get a closer look.

"My wife beats me," Rory said dryly, rolling his eyes at Niall.

" _I'm_ going to beat you if you don't tell me what happened!" Niall said sternly.

"You realize I'm not a kid anymore right?" Rory chuckled, "I'm thirty-seven and have three kids of my own. Number four on the way."

"Well excuse me for worrying about you! You're alright aren't you?" Niall asked, "Did you do any damage to your eye?"

"I'm fine, Dad. I was playing footie with Danny, teaching him some stuff and Anna called out to me. When I was signing back to her, Danny kicked the ball as hard as he could and got me right in the face. I'll tell ya what - I've got a strong little lad. Might follow in his Da's footsteps I reckon." Rory said proudly.

"I'd say he's strong," Harry walked up to get a closer look then hugged his son, "That's a pretty good shiner."

"Yeah," Rory laughed, "I was on Skype with Finn yesterday and he laughed for ten minutes the little fucker. Anyway, Anna is coming later with the kids. Where's my littlest sister?"

"In the living room in her swing. She loves that thing." Harry said, laughing.

Rory headed into the living room followed by Harry and Niall and picked Ryanne up from her swing and blew a raspberry on her tummy through her onesie. Ryanne let out a shriek and Rory laughed and hugged her close. Harry stood back, watching everything with a smile on his face. He loved watching his son this way. Rory was so good with kids and such a good father. It made Harry so proud and assured him that he and Niall did a good job in raising him after Kaetlyn died. They may have been scared to death but it didn't matter. It never mattered.

"Hey," Rory's voice cut through Harry's thoughts, "What are you two doing, gawking at me? Get moving! You've got four days alone ahead of you. Stop wasting time. I've got this little one. She'll be well taken care of. Now go!"

"Alright, alright," Niall chuckled. He gave Rory a one armed hug and kissed Ryanne on the head, "Love you both. We'll have our phones in case of an emergency."

Rory nodded and turned toward Harry to accept his hug, "Okay. I'm sure everything will be fine. Just have fun, yeah? You deserve it."

Harry and Niall said goodbye to Rory then headed out to Niall's SUV to get on the road to Suffolk. Harry turned the radio on low then got comfortable in his seat, turning on his side so he could face Niall while he was driving.

"Did I ever tell you I love watching you drive?" Harry asked about ten minutes into the drive. They were still in Central London at this point. It would take a bit to get out of the snarl of traffic in the city and eventually onto the A12 to Sibton. Right now they were stopped at a red light and Niall looked over at him with a fond smile on his face.

"You know what, darlin'? I don't think you have told me that before,"

"Hmm," Harry hummed, "I guess after all these years together we're still learning new things about each other."

"Seems that way doesn't it?" Niall turned back to the road as the light turned green again, "And why is it you like watching me drive?"

Harry bit his lip and turned his cheek into the leather of the seat, all of a sudden feeling like a teenager again. It was ridiculous since they'd been married for over twenty years but here he was, watching his husband driving with a blush on his cheeks and his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

"Well? Are you gonna tell me, H?" Niall asked after a minute, glancing over at him with an amused look on his face.

"Yes," Harry said, his voice sounding a bit whiny, "I just - I don't know. It's the way you sit so relaxed with your legs open and one hand casually resting on your thigh. Although sometimes you drive with two hands and that's sexy too because I love your hands. They're strong hands and I love the way your forearms flex when you grip the wheel. Then there's your face. I'm looking at your profile when you're driving. Your chiselled jawline, your scruff when you don't shave, that deep dimple in your chin. You're just - you're really sexy when you're driving okay?"

"Jesus," Niall cursed under his breath and gripped the wheel tightly, "I think my cock just twitched in me pants."

Harry's eyes widened and he sat up straight, looking at Niall in disbelief, "Are you serious?"

"No, Harry, I just like to randomly talk about my cock in the middle of traffic on the way out of London," Niall said sarcastically.

Harry didn't say anything for a full minute, just continued to stare at Niall as he drove. When he burst out into full on laughter, the sound reverberated around the vehicle and Niall turned to glare at him like he wanted to kill him, "You fucking find this funny?"

"It is funny!" Harry continued to laugh, not able to help himself, "I didn't - I didn't realize I'd affect you that way or I wouldn't have said anything."

"You didn't realize - Harry! You're sitting there, blushing and looking at me with those big green eyes, telling me how sexy I am when I'm driving, _as I'm driving_ I might add, and you think I wouldn't be affected??" Niall says incredulously, his voice rising in pitch.

Harry bit his lip again as he thought about what Niall was saying and yeah, okay, he definitely didn't think that through at all, "Okay. You're right. I know you're right. Just - we can pull over and I can take care of you."

Niall turned to face him, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head, "Oh we can, can we? Then tomorrow morning we'll be on the front page of the Sun with a picture of you blowing me in my car!"

Harry couldn't help it, he really couldn't, he burst out laughing again, hiding his face in his hands and trying to muffle the laughter so Niall wouldn't get anymore mad. It wasn't until he heard a chortle from the seat next to him that he took his hands away from his face and looked over at Niall. Niall who was now laughing just as hard as Harry was.

"Oh my God!" Niall managed to wheeze out through his laughter, his body bent over the steering wheel as he drove. Thank God city traffic was moving so slowly, "I can't - I can't - fuck - it's like we're fifteen or something. Driving to some - some lookout point type place to get off."

Harry reached up to wipe tears from his eyes, his body shaking from laughter, "To be - to be fair, we are driving somewhere to get off. Four days worth of getting off."

Niall started laughing hysterically again, sometimes laughing so hard his laughter was silent and all Harry could see was his husband's shaking body.

It took the two men almost ten minutes to calm their laughter down to just giggles. When they did, Harry reached over and took Niall's hand in his threading their fingers together, "We really can stop at a Petrol station or something. I could blow you in the bathroom."

Niall squeezed his hand and looked over at him, a half smile on his face, "It's alright, darlin'. I'm not really that hard anymore. You're not getting on your knees in a disgusting petrol station bathroom."

Harry hummed and sat back in his seat again, his thumb rubbing circles against Niall's skin as he looked out the windshield thoughtfully, "You know... the Syco offices aren't very far from here. In the lobby of the building there's a bathroom down the hallway to the left when you walk in the front doors. It's a posh building. Very clean floors."

Niall turned to look at him with eyebrows raised and lips pursed like he was trying not to laugh again, "Are you serious?"

"Mhmm," Harry looked at him and nodded slowly, a smirk on his face, "I'm very serious. I'm kinda turned on right now. I love that my talking about how sexy you are got you a bit worked up. Wanna get my mouth on you."

Niall sucked in a breath and slightly moved in his seat to adjust himself. He looked over at Harry, then back toward the road, then back to Harry again, "Jesus," He cursed, "I can never resist you."

Harry laughed with glee as Niall turned off the street they were on to go toward the office building where Syco had offices on the top floors. It took ten minutes to get there and park in the lot that Harry thankfully had a pass for, then they headed inside the large lobby and looked around to see if anyone noticed them. Thankfully there were only a few people walking through, probably coming from meetings or going to one, but they weren't paying attention because they were texting or reading e-mails on their phones. The two receptionists at the desk were both busy on phone calls as well so Harry grabbed Niall's hand and pulled him down the hallway to the left and into the fancy bathroom at the end of the hall.

"You weren't kidding when you said this bathroom was fancy," Niall snorted as they got inside and Harry locked the door behind them, "Marble counter tops and I bet that toilet seat is heated."

Harry dropped to his knees and pushed Niall up against said marble counter top and started to undo the button and zipper of his jeans, "Niall. Shut up and let me suck your cock."

Niall opened his mouth to reply but Harry yanked his jeans and boxers down to his ankles in one sharp movement and took his half hard cock into his mouth, swirling his tongue around and hollowing his cheeks right away, "Fuck, darlin," Niall sucked in a sharp breath and slid his fingers into Harry's hair, "You really get down to business don't you?"

Harry hummed around Niall's cock and slid his hands around his hips to grip his perfect little ass. Niall moaned and Harry pulled off with a smirk, tugging Niall to full hardness with his right hand while kneading his arse with his left, "Don't see any reason to waste time, do you? Not when I can have you in my mouth and coming down my throat."

"God, darlin'. You're so good to me. I got so lucky when I fell for you," Niall said breathlessly, his fingers carding through Harry's hair.

Harry smiled up at him then stuck his tongue out to lick over the head. He took Niall back into his mouth and started bobbing his head up and down, his eyes wide and looking up at Niall so innocently, just the way Niall liked it. He continued to run his palms flat over Niall's ass, squeezing it sometimes and pushing Niall forward so that his cock went down the back of his throat. He held Niall there for a minute, burying his nose in Niall's pubic hair and fluttering his throat around Niall's cock.

" _Fuck_!" Niall gasped and gripped Harry's hair hard, "I fucking love when you do that."

Harry wanted to smirk but he couldn't so he simply hummed again and pulled back up and off so he could catch a breath. He licked around the head and played with Niall's balls while he was catching his breath, then he looked up into Niall's eyes again and said, "Fuck my mouth. Hard."

Niall threw his head back and groaned long and low, his hips jerking slightly like they had a mind of their own, "Harry. Fuck you're gonna kill me. I don't know if I can be quiet enough for that."

"Fuck it," Harry shrugged and grabbed onto Niall's arse again, "We're married. Married people fuck. If anyone outside that door can't handle that they can fuck right off."

"Harry...if someone sees us leaving and tells the press do you know how mortified our children would be? When it ended up on the front page of the Sun? We can't. We have to be discreet," Niall said, clearly not enjoying having to say what he's saying.

Harry thinks about it for a minute then looks up at Niall again, "Then I guess you're going to have to be as quiet as you can. I know you can do it. Especially if I make it worth your while later."

"What are you suggesting?" Niall asked, his chest heaving up and down as he breathed heavily.

"Whatever you want, baby," Harry said with a smirk on his face, "I'll do whatever you ask. It's not just me that likes to be tied up and helpless. _You_ like me tied up and helpless. You like making me come without even touching me. You like when you tell me to do something and I do it. You love all of it just as much as I do."

"Okay!" Niall nodded his head frantically, "Okay. I'll fuck your mouth and I'll be quiet doing it."

"That's what I thought," Harry winked at him then relaxed his throat and went down on him again.

Niall bit down on his lip and moaned softly, tightening his grip in Harry's hair as he started to move his hips. He looked down into Harry's eyes as he began to fuck his mouth and Harry could see when the arousal had built up so much inside him that he couldn't take it anymore. He could see the desire in the darkened blue of Niall's eyes.

Harry continued to look up into Niall's eyes, not looking away even though his eyes were stinging and beginning to water. Tears leaked out of the side of his eyes and down his cheeks and Niall caught them on his finger as he felt his own cock pressing against Harry's cheek.

"Fuck!" Niall whisper yelled as he slammed his cock into Harry's mouth over and over again, "I'm coming!"

Harry felt it a second later, the salty taste as it flowed down the back of his throat. When Niall was done Harry pulled off with a gasp and stood up on shaking legs, quickly undoing his own jeans so he could get at his own cock. When he pulled it out, Niall grabbed it and frantically started jerking Harry off while Harry held Niall's shirt up out of the way. A minute later Harry was biting down on Niall's shoulder as he came hard all over Niall's lower abdomen and cock.

"Oh my God!" Harry gasped and collapsed half on top of Niall and half against the marble counter top, "That was so hot."

Niall giggled and reached behind him to turn on the faucet so the water could warm up a bit, "I agree. That was hot and fucking ridiculous. We're ridiculous."

"Can't disagree with you there. Just look at me!" Harry looked at himself in the mirror and saw Niall's come on the side of his mouth where some dripped out, tear tracks running down his cheeks, his lips were very red and abused and his hair looked like a birds nest.

"I'm looking at you," Niall murmured in his ear then reached up and put his thumb and forefinger under Harry's chin to turn his face toward him, "You look absolutely stunning, darlin'. Most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Then he kissed Harry's swollen lips and Harry kissed him back, savouring every second.

"Shall we clean up and get back on the road?" Niall asked when he pulled back and ran his thumb over Harry's lips.

Harry smiled softly and nodded his head, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Niall whispered, leaning in for one more kiss. When he pulled back again he said, "Now help me clean your come off me cock and stomach before I get it all over me clothes and end up walking out into public with it all over me."

Harry let out a loud bark of laughter and reached for some paper towels to wet them so he could clean the come off Niall. It took them twenty minutes to clean up they were laughing so hard, but eventually they were back in their car and back on the road to their little cottage in the woods in Suffolk.

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Everyone!
> 
> Here's the next chapter of the story. It's a continuation of the last chapter and Narry's romantic vacation. I hope you enjoy it. I'll be getting back to Fizzy in the next chapter. I've already started writing it. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy :)

 

 

Niall was getting excited the closer they got to Sibton and he knows part of it had to do with the excitement in Harry's voice as he went through the pictures of Hex Cottage on Niall's phone.

"This was a brilliant idea, Niall!" Harry gushed, "Booking the only cottage without electricity. It'll be so romantic with just the fire lit in the front room and candles lit in the bedroom. The pictures the website show of the cottage are so gorgeous. God, I can't wait to get there and see!"

Niall chuckled and took one hand off the wheel so he could reach over and hold Harry's hand, "I'm glad you're excited. Wasn't sure how you'd feel about no electricity at first. We get so used to having something that it's hard to go without. Then I thought about it and realized you'd think it was as romantic as I do. It'll be so nice to be completely alone with you. I mean, I know the wilderness reserve has that old state house they turned into a hotel and other cottages spread around the property but they're not close. With over forty-five hundred acres there's lots of space between cottages."

"It's perfect, Niall. It says here that the cottage will have coffee, tea, bread, milk, cheese, butter, orange juice and marshmallows. So obviously we'll be roasting marshmallows," Harry said, laughing giddily.

" _I'll_ be roasting marshmallows," Niall gave Harry a look, "You'll sit back so you don't catch yourself on fire."

"That was one time, Niall!" Harry whined, "And it wasn't my fault. I rolled my sleeves up but they fell down right when I was leaning over the fire. I'll go sleeveless this time."

Niall scoffed and turned to give Harry another look, "You'll probably just fall in the fire and get first degree burns all over yourself."

Harry pulled his hand from Niall's and crossed his arms over his chest, pouting, "You're being mean to me. I'm not talking to you."

Niall laughed and pulled onto the road that led to the wilderness reserve where they would get the keys for the cottage they were staying in, "That's a shame because we're here now."

"It's so beautiful out here. So green and wide open. Like Holmes Chapel. Reminds me of growing up," Harry gushed as he stared out his window at everything.

"I thought you weren't talking to me?" Niall said, a small smirk on his face.

"I'm talking to myself," Harry said, sticking his nose up in the air and continuing to look out his window.

Niall chuckled and shook his head at his husband. He was so adorable sometimes. Especially when he got all pouty. Of course Niall knew Harry wasn't being serious. He was just messing around. It was something they did sometimes that often made their friends either coo at them or gag at them and say they were too disgustingly cute.

"Alright, darlin'. While you're here not talking to me, I'll go inside and check us in and get the key," Niall said when he pulled into the parking lot by the office. He leaned over the console and kissed Harry's cheek, catching the tiny smile on his husband's face, then he got out of the car and headed inside the building.

Ten minutes later Niall was back in the car after getting checked in and being told by the clerk all the activities there was to do on the property. He got back inside the car and smiled at Harry who had his arm out the window and was resting his head on it, "Alright darlin'?"

Harry turned his head slightly to look at him and the sun caught his face in just the right way, making it look like it was shining just for him, to light up his already gorgeous face even more. He smiled at Niall and Niall felt his stomach fluttering at how perfect and angelic Harry looked right now. "I feel great, Niall. So relaxed already. It's warm and sunny. I want to be outside as soon as we have our stuff put inside."

"That sounds good to me. We can explore a little then maybe drive into the village to visit the shops? We can get something to BBQ. I read on the website there's a BBQ it just needs coal so I've got some in the trunk. We can buy enough supplies for the four days and maybe BBQ every night," Niall suggested as he started the car back up and followed the directions he was given to Hex Cottage.

"Won't all that stuff go bad without electricity? No fridge," Harry said, a thoughtful look on his face.

"The clerk just told me the no electricity doesn't include a fridge. There's a small fridge that has power to keep it cool for food like the milk and cheese they provide," Niall explained.

Harry hummed and turned his face back toward the window, tilting it up to let the warm sun wash over it. Niall didn't want to take his eyes off him but he had to pay attention while driving. Hitting something or someone would not be a good start to their vacation.

Soon enough the small cottage came into view, surrounded for what seemed like miles by the tall grass of the meadows around it. Behind it stood the tall trees off the woods where they could already hear the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling with the wind. It was breathtaking.

"Wow," Niall murmured when he stopped the car. He and Harry slowly got out and looked all around them, not seeing anything but nature for as far as the eye could see, "It's even better than I imagined."

"Yeah," Harry whispered, coming over to stand next to Niall and grab onto his hand, "It's beautiful, Niall. Thank you so much for arranging this. I didn't even know I needed it until right this second."

Niall took his eyes off the scenery and looked at Harry, stepping in front of him so he could slide his arm around his waist and slip his hand up under his shirt to gently caress his skin, "I had a feeling you needed this. Everything else is true of course - I wanted us to go away and be alone together before the kids get back in school, I get back to work, you start working on the live shows - but I also just thought you needed this. It hasn't been an easy few months. Everything going on with Finn really hit you hard. This is a chance for you, for us, to reboot a bit. Get some much needed rest and relaxation."

Harry didn't speak for a minute and Niall watched as his eyes teared up and his bottom lip trembled a bit before he regained control, "You know me so well," He whispered, his voice breaking a little, "You knew I needed this, knew I needed _you_ , before I did. You're an incredibly special man, Niall Horan. I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

Niall let go of Harry's hand so he could move closer and properly embrace him. He wrapped his arms around him and pressed their chests together but kept his head back enough so he could look at him, "I'm here with you and we're going to have the best time this weekend. No thinking about being without me because you're not and you will never be rid of me. I love you, yeah? I love you, darlin'."

"I love you, too," Harry pulled Niall all the way in and hugged him tight, kissing his cheek and jaw over and over until he finally let go and pulled back, "Okay. Let's get our stuff inside and go exploring in this sunshine."

"Yes!" Niall grinned and pumped his fist in the air, making Harry laugh and show off his dimples. Niall adored those dimples and couldn't resist reaching up to thumb over one of them. The action made Harry laugh even more, his eyes lit up and his whole face completely care free. Niall loved him this way. Loved listening to him laughing and smiling constantly. He was beautiful.

They made quick work of unloading the few bags in the trunk. Besides their clothes, Niall had brought coal for the BBQ and a bag of snacks and some wine. He knew wine was provided but he brought along some red and white that were his and Harry's favourites.

Once inside, Niall stood inside the doorway and leaned against the door jamb with his legs crossed and a small smile on his face as he watched Harry excitedly check out the place, his face constantly alight with happiness and awe. They were currently in the main room which was a sitting room and Harry was gushing about the open fire and the sheepskin rug on the floor, along with the quirky antique furniture that surrounded the more contemporary sofa that looked big enough for two and very much like you could sink right into it when you sat down.

"When we come inside at night we can sit in here and curl up together on the couch with our wine. We can talk for hours, Niall! About whatever we want. We can make love on the sheepskin rug in front of the fire," Harry stopped in his tracks so he could look at Niall, "You are definitely fucking me on that rug. I won't take no for an answer!"

Niall pushed off the door jamb and made his way into the room scoffing, "You think I'd ever say no to that? To you? Never darlin'. We can fuck on every surface of this place if you want. We have nothing to do and nowhere to be for now."

Harry beamed at him, his smile so wide his dimples were like craters. Niall couldn't help but laugh and reach out for him, kissing his cheek and hugging him, swaying them back and forth while they laughed together.

Next they went into the kitchen which had a door that opened up to an area where the BBQ and a table and chairs were. The table and chairs were both grey wicker with the table having a glass top and the chairs having comfy looking cushions. There was a large tree that provided shade for the table and Niall knew right away he'd be out here in the morning, having a cup of coffee while watching the sun rise. Maybe Harry would join him but if not, Niall would just crawl back into bed with him again afterward and wake him up with kisses all over his body.

"This kitchen is so amazing," Harry said from behind him, "Brick floors, bread ovens, the range for heating the kitchen and boiling water. It's so old fashioned yet surrounded by newer things. I love it! We can have our meals outside if the weather allows. I see the way you're eyeing that little area under the tree."

Niall smiled at Harry over his shoulder then turned around and stepped back inside, closing the door behind him, "I know I always eat outside on our deck in the Summer but it's so different here. There's no city noise. Kinda reminds me of growing up in Mullingar."

"From small towns you and I," Harry came over and wrapped his arms around him, briefly lifting him off the floor then putting him back down on top of his own feet like he was teaching him to dance or something, "We've become city folk but we'll never forget our roots."

Niall burst out laughing and buried his face in Harry's shirt, "Was that your attempt at a southern accent?"

"I don't know what that was, baby," Harry kissed the top of his head and rubbed his hands down over Niall's back, "I'm so happy right now things just keep coming out of my mouth. You should probably stop me."

Niall tipped his head back and he didn't have to say a word or initiate anything, Harry just knew he was looking for a kiss and pressed his lips to his softly, their arms wrapped loosely around each other. They fit together perfectly, just like they always do and for whatever reason it made Niall feel emotional inside. Emotional and grateful that he has someone that fits with him this way. Who understands him completely and loves him unconditionally. He only wishes everyone in the world could have what he has.

"Alright?" Harry asks him as they pull apart.

Niall smiles at him and nods, "More than alright. Want to go check out the bedroom? Put our stuff away?"

"Let's do it!" Harry said, turning toward the bedroom with Niall's hand in his, "I want to see if the bed is as gorgeous as it looked in the pictures."

They stopped to grab their bags from the sitting room, then walked into the bedroom and en suite. They both looked around appreciatively at the large bed full of big throw pillows and a canopy, the white sheepskin rugs on the floor, the open fire and the many candles spread out around the room. It was stunning.

"I can't wait for tonight," Harry practically whispered as he set his bag down on the floor, "You and me in this amazing bed, the fire and the candles the only light in the room. It'll be so romantic."

"It will be," Niall agreed. He honestly couldn't wait for tonight. Getting to see his husband's body by candlelight, kiss him and touch him all over. Jesus. He felt like he was twenty all over again with the way his hormones were completely taking over his body.

"It's pretty warm out. I'm going to change into shorts before we go for a walk. Maybe my swim shorts in case we decide to swim in the lake. I know there's one here somewhere," Harry said as he rifled through his bag.

"We'll find it. We can take our time. We've got nowhere to be," Niall said, loving the fact that he could say that.

They both changed into their shorts and put on sun block since the sun was out in full force. It was something they didn't see in England a whole lot. The sun, yes, but rarely is there clear blue sky without a cloud in sight. They were going to take full advantage.

Niall immediately took Harry's hand when they stepped outside and linked their fingers together. Harry smiled at him and and moved in close and they set off down the path that led into the woods. There were marked paths throughout, Niall was told, so they were just going to follow those and enjoy the peaceful sounds of the birds chirping.  
  
They walked along for half an hour, not really saying much, just small talk and pointing things out to each other. They had passed another couple out for a hike and said hello but other than that it was pretty quiet.

They came across a small pond and stopped to sit at the edge and just relax for a minute. Harry sat with his long legs stretched out in front of him, while Niall sat next to him, leaning his body against Harry's and linking his arms through his so he could rest his head on Harry's shoulder. It was so quiet and peaceful that Niall felt his eyes start to get a bit droopy until Harry spoke.

"Hey Niall?" He murmured. Niall hummed and moved his head so he could look up at Harry, "I was thinking about the conversation we had with Kate yesterday."

Niall nuzzled his face into Harry's neck and kissed him softly, one of his hands slowly sliding up and down Harry's forearm, "What about it, darlin'?"

"Just..." Harry paused for a moment to scratch an itch on his cheek, "She's fourteen. She won't be fifteen until October yet she's so smart and mature. She's been interested in fashion since she was a little girl and now that she's older and actually understanding it more she's taking the steps she needs to get everything organized for her future. She thought about it for a long time, decided it's what she wants to do, now she's learning what she can from Gemma, she's searching for the best schools and willing to work hard to get into them, she's willing to meet with anyone I can set her up with to learn from them, and then she came to us to ask our opinion and to see if we'd be willing to support her financially. I just can't get over how incredible she is. She makes me so proud, Niall, and I just keep wondering - did *we* do this? Did we really help her to become this incredible human being?"

Niall laughed softly as he looked up at the look of awe and wonder on Harry's face, "I'd like to think we certainly guided her on the right path. Taught her about hard work and how it's important to assert yourself and pick a career that she'll enjoy. She deserves some of the credit as well though. She's got a big personality like me and Rory but she doesn't let that distract her. She knows what's important. She's a sweet girl underneath all that cheek."

"Yeah," Harry smiled softly, "She really is. I love that cheek, though. She makes me laugh so hard and it's always when I need a good laugh. She's the female version of Rory." Harry laughed. He paused for a minute before continuing, "Did you think we'd be able to raise our kids so well? I mean, I knew we'd be good parents. We're stable and we have a lot of love to give. I never dreamed of doing this good, though. I know it sounds like I'm praising us and being an arrogant twat but Niall, look at Rory. A successful career, a good marriage, great kids. Finn is only nineteen and has his career started. He's already made enough money to last him a life time, he's in a loving relationship and whether he realizes it or not he treats Jacob like he's his own son. Then Nori is seventeen and gone off to Africa. Not scared at all. Just determined to make a difference. Now Kate. We must be doing something right."

"Like I said, darlin', we're teaching them good values and showing them the way. They take it from there. Rory and Finn have had a few bumps along the way so far but they navigated around them and they're doing good now. All we can do is keep guiding them in the right direction. I'm pretty proud of our kids and us. Nothing arrogant about it. We work hard to give our kids a good life. I think a pat on the back is warranted," Niall said with a grin on his face.

"I really love you," Harry said laughing. He leaned in to kiss Niall, giggling against his lips, "Thank you for being the perfect partner all these years. I wouldn't want to parent with anyone but you."

Niall kissed Harry back, biting down on his lip and slipping his tongue past his lips to deepen the kiss. The passion between them ignited almost instantly as their tongues played a familiar game with each other and their hands found bare skin to caress. Pretty soon, Harry was dragging Niall over on top of him and they spent the next twenty minutes in a full on snogging session. Nothing more happened than kissing, some touching and a lot of giggling and heavy breathing but that was okay with Niall. They were here to let loose and have fun. If that meant acting like teenagers together then so be it.

After they got up they continued their walk through the woodlands, deciding to head back around three for a late lunch. They didn't want to eat anything big since they'd have dinner probably around eight, so they cut up some of the cheese in the fridge and took it out to the table outside under the tree with some fresh fruit and white wine.

"It's so beautiful today," Harry tipped his head back so that it wasn't under the tree and the sun could shine on his face, "Not too hot. Just perfect."

"I agree, darlin'" Niall said. He looked over at his husband with his head tipped back and eyes closed and couldn't resist reaching over to brush his thumb over where his dimple usually is. The action made Harry smile which made his dimple appear and Niall grinned because that's exactly what he wanted. He could sit there for the rest of the day just staring at the peaceful smile on Harry's face.

"Oh!" Harry tipped his head back down and looked at Niall, "I forgot I wanted to talk to you about something."

Niall popped a grape into his mouth and gave Harry a look, "It's not serious is it? We're on vacation."

Harry laughed and drank a sip of wine, "Its nothing bad, baby. It's something I've been mulling over for awhile. How do you feel about buying more property?"

Niall took a sip of his own wine and shrugged thoughtfully, "The market is good for it right now. What were you thinking? An investment property?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "A property for us."

"Really?" Niall sat back surprised, "Where? We have the house in London and L.A. We don't use the L.A. one that much as it is and now you want another one? I'm not against it I just don't know when we'd use it. Our life is in London. Our kids are in school and my job is there so it's hard to just take off whenever we want."

"I know," Harry said, "What I'm thinking is pretty close to London actually. In Ireland."

"Ireland?" Niall's eyes went wide and he looked over at his husband speechless. He had no idea what to say. No idea Harry was interested in having property in Ireland.

"Yes, Ireland," Harry laughed, "Hear me out. I was thinking of finding a big piece of land in or just outside of Mullingar. Maybe one with an old house on it we can tear down and start from scratch. We can build a small house, two or three bedrooms, and then we'd have our own house to go to when we visit. Right now we don't get to visit that much. The kids sometimes go during the summer but with our own place we could make an effort to go more. Maybe spend weekends there sometimes. Think about it - you could go into work early sometimes on Friday and leave by lunch and we can get on a plane and head over, come back on Sunday night. If any of the kids want to come with us they can, but sometimes we can go alone and spend time together like we are now. Nori and Kate can take care of themselves some weekends, with Rory or Finn around of course, and we have plenty of babysitters for the twins and Ryanne. Although I'd like to take them as much as we can. Our kids need to know where their Dad is from. They need to experience it like you and Rory got to when you were young. They need to spend time with Bobby like the older kids have gotten to do. He's eighty now and thank God he's in good health but we don't know how long that'll last. I - why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Because you're cute," Niall said laughing, his heart completely full of love for his husband right now. Niall hasn't lived in Ireland in over thirty years and even though he visits he definitely misses it. To build a house there and make an effort to go there more and show his kids where he grew up - it meant a lot to him. A whole hell of a lot.

"I'm not cute," Harry pouted, "I'm manly."

Niall barked out a laugh and got up from his chair to go sit on Harry's lap, "Oh you are definitely manly," Niall wiggled his bum around over Harry's crotch, "I can definitely attest to that. Right now you're cute and I absolutely love and adore you so much."

A big smile spread across Harry's face and he wrapped his arms around Niall's waist tightly, "Yeah? You like my idea?"

"I love it, darlin',"Niall said against Harry's lips, then he kissed him softly, over and over again until he started giggling and bashfully hid his face in Niall's neck, "I love that you want a house in my home country. I love that you want our kids to spend more time there and experience what it was like for me growing up in Ireland. I love that you've always made sure our kids are involved in Irish traditions. Not just Rory and Finn who were both born in Ireland and have Irish parents. All of our kids. It means more to me than you could ever know."

"I think I do know," Harry said as he held Niall close to him, "You are a very proud Irishman and I have years and years worth of St. Patrick's Day photos to prove it."

"Oh God!" Niall threw his head back, laughing loudly. There were definitely some crazy photos of him on St. Paddy's Day. Some scandalous ones too! Naturally those ones are somewhere the kids will never see. Especially the ones from his and Harry's first St. Paddy's Day as a couple. Niall made it his mission that year to show Harry how the Irish really celebrate. They went to Dublin and everything, to make sure Harry got the full experience. The next two days were quite a blur and they somehow ended up in Mullingar passed out in Niall's old bedroom with Bobby throwing a bucket of cold water over them and cackling with laughter.

"You're thinking about that first St. Paddy's Day together aren't you?" Harry asked through his own laughter.

"How could I not?" Niall snorted, "It was epic."

"Yeah," Harry said, his laughter dying down, "It really was. I'm so proud to be married to an Irishman. I'm proud my kids are Irish, and I'm proud to say I consider myself to be an honorary Irishman through you. So what do you think of calling Bobby when we get back from our trip and asking him if he knows of any property for sale?"

"I think that's a perfect idea. My Dad is going to be so happy about this, Harry. He'll make it his mission to talk to everyone in town to find out what's available. He won't settle for anything but the best for us and he'll probably finagle to get us a cheap price even though we don't need that," Niall laughed, "Thank you. You've not only made me happy but you know you've made my Dad happy too. He just doesn't know it yet."

"You're welcome, baby," Harry smiled and leaned into him, kissing his lips once softly before kissing his way along Niall's jaw then down over his neck, "You always taste so good."

Niall's eyes fluttered closed and he tipped his head to the side to allow Harry more and easier access. Harry got the hint and mouthed down his neck to just above his collarbone where he went to work creating a colourful bruise on Niall's skin. When he was done he made his way back up to Niall's lips and they met in a hot, passionate kiss, the fire between them igniting as fast as it always does. Niall turned around on Harry's lap and straddled him, Harry's hands immediately moving to Niall's arse to knead and squeeze the small mound of flesh.

"Fuck," Niall moaned the word into Harry's mouth. He ran his palms flat over Harry's chest, moving them up around his neck so he could plunge his fingers into Harry's hair. He ground his hips down against Harry's crotch, swallowing Harry's moan into his mouth, "I thought we were going to check out the lake?"

Harry whined and shook his head, gripping Niall's arse even tighter, "Can't do this at the lake. Too many people around. Unless you secretly do want to end up on the front page of the Sun."

Niall made a snorting noise then buried his face in Harry's neck, licking over his pulse point, "Of course. It's been my life long dream."

Harry laughed, his mouth right next to Niall's ear. The low timbre of his laugh immediately sending sparks of arousal right to his gut. The low pitch of Harry's voice had always been a weakness for Niall. After they started dating and Niall decided to go back and watch videos of Harry when his first album came out, he always thought about how sinful Harry's voice sounded for an eighteen year old.

"I think we should check out the lake later," Niall said, surprising himself with how breathless his voice sounded. He really shouldn't be surprised though. His husband still affected him as much now as he did twenty-five years ago. That certainly wasn't news to Niall. "Right now I want to get inside so I can repay you for that incredible blowie this morning."

Harry's whole body stilled for a minute then he slowly drew his head back until he and Niall were face to face again. He licked his lips and darted his eyes up and down between Niall's eyes and his mouth, "Yeah? What were you thinking?"

"Let's get inside so I can show you," Niall says. He goes to lift himself off of Harry's lap but squeaks in surprise when strong hands grab his hips to hold on to him. Harry easily stands up with Niall in his arms and Niall quickly wraps his legs around Harry's waist as they walk across the terrace to the door that leads into the cottage kitchen. They're in the bedroom in about thirty seconds and Niall is laughing as Harry lays him out on the large bed, "Manhandling me again?"

"Don't act like you don't love it," Harry grinned down at him and pulled his t-shirt off over his head, his muscles rippling right in front of Niall's face.

"Oh I could never do that," Niall said cheekily. He lifted his back off the bed to get his own shirt off then wiggled his hips to pull his shorts and boxers off while he was at it. "Think my reaction to you lifting me around like that is always much too hard to hide."

Harry's laugh came out sounding like an undignified squawk and a snort all at the same time. He practically fell on top of Niall, his body shaking from his laughter and leaving Niall completely bewildered, "Darlin'?" He tried to get Harry's attention, his voice tinged with amusement, "I don't know what you're laughing at right now but we were kind of in the middle of something."

Harry rolled his body off Niall and lay on his back on the bed, tears leaking from his eyes and his loud, cackling laugh still reverberating around the room. Niall turned over on his side, propped up on one elbow so he could look down at his husband's face, "Seriously. Have you gone mad?" Niall asked him, "I think you have."

"No! No!" Harry practically shouted the words while shaking his head back and forth on the duvet, "Just - think about what you said, Niall."

Niall furrowed his brow and thought back on what he said, trying to figure out what Harry could have found _this_ funny, "H. All I said was that I think my reaction to you lifting me around like that is always much too hard to hide."

"Exactly!!!" Harry howled with laughter again, making Niall sigh and shake his head. He was just about to give up and get dressed again, his dick starting to lose interest when he realized what Harry was laughing at and he let out his own loud bark of laughter.

"Oh fuck!" Niall threw his head back, cackling loudly with his husband, "You and your fucking puns, H!"

"You're the one who said it!" Harry said, struggling to breath through his laughter, "Your reaction to me lifting you like that is always too _hard_ to hide."

"Yeah but you know what I meant!" Niall said through his laughter, "Oh God! If there's a pun to be found _you_ will find it."

"Obviously," Harry rolled his eyes, "Have you forgotten who you're married too?"

Just like that Niall's laughter slowed and the atmosphere changed as both their heads turned on the mattress and they locked eyes. Their last few giggles petered out and Niall quickly moved to roll his body on top of Harry's so they were pressed together, one naked body to another, "No, darlin'. I definitely haven't forgotten who I'm married to."

"No?"

Niall lifted his hand to cup Harry's cheek, his thumb running over Harry's plump bottom lip, "Never. I'm married to the sexiest man I've ever seen. Every day I get to kiss and touch this incredible body of yours. I get to see you wet from the shower, I get to see the way your muscles flex when you're on top of me and fucking in to me, I get to see the way the muscles in your thighs work when you're running around with our kids. There's no way in hell I could ever forget you."

Harry opened his mouth the slightest bit and sucked the tip of Niall's thumb inside. He sucked on it gently while looking straight into Niall's eyes, making the arousal build up in Niall's stomach again and his dick start to twitch. When Harry let Niall's thumb slip out of his mouth he stared up at him with parted lips, waiting to see what Niall was going to do.

"You're so beautiful, H," Niall whispered, sounding a little emotional, "I'm gonna take care of you the way you took care of me this morning."

Harry's whole body shivered beneath Niall's and his eyes darkened the slightest bit with arousal. He licked his lips and ran his hands up and down Niall's sides, "Please," He whispered, "I need you."

"I've got you," Niall lowered his head to kiss Harry, their lips fitting perfectly together like they always do. He takes his time kissing Harry, slowly nipping at his bottom lip and coaxing his mouth open to receive his tongue. He brushed his tongue over Harry's in slow, long strokes at first, taking his time making Harry pliant in his arms.

They stay that way for awhile, kissing slowly and just touching each other softly. Niall circled his thumb over Harry's jaw for awhile before moving his fingers up into his husband's luscious hair. Harry ran his hands over Niall's sides, up over his back and shoulders, down over his arse. They had both touched each other this way millions of times but it hadn't lost its thrill. They both still fell apart at the other's touch, still craved it more than air sometimes.

Eventually when Harry was softly whimpering into the kiss, Niall pulled back and lovingly kissed down over his chest and stomach, sticking his tongue out when he got to Harry's cock to lick over the slit. Harry made the prettiest mewling sound when he did it and Niall wanted to keep doing it so he could hear it again but he had other ideas and he wasn't wasting any time.

Moving down to kiss along Harry's muscular thighs he left a trail of love bites until Harry was writhing beneath him and gasping out Niall's name. Niall loved when Harry was panting and sounding breathless from the pleasure he got from the pain. It made Niall want to bite into every inch of his skin then soothe over it with his tongue so he could listen to the sounds he made.

He continued to leave all the way down to Harry's ankles, then without warning he held onto Harry's legs and flipped him over onto his stomach, making Harry cry out in surprise then playfully kick his foot back at Niall when Niall laughed at him.

"You look so incredible like this," Niall told his husband as he admired his broad shoulders, the rippling muscles in his back, the curve of his perfect arse that has become the perfect amount of muscular over the years due to Harry doing squats in his regular workout, and his pale, muscular thighs that were practically begging for Niall to mark them up, "I want to touch all of you at once," Niall parted Harry's legs a bit so he could crawling up between them and run his hands up over Harry's back, "I can't, though, so I'll just start up here."

Harry grabbed a pillow and slid his arms underneath it so he could rest his cheek on the pillow. He hummed and closed his eyes, a content smile on his face as Niall kissed his neck then his shoulder and across his back to the other shoulder. "Feels good, baby. I love your lips."

Niall grinned against the skin of Harry's shoulder, sliding his hands down over the muscles in Harry's back and squeezing his little love handles that he could never get rid of no matter how much he worked out. Harry used to complain about them but Niall adored them, loved putting his hands on Harry's hips and feeling that little bit of softness there. They were apart of Harry and Niall would never change any part of him. Soon enough Harry stopped complaining about them and started blushing instead when Niall spent extra attention sucking marks into them.

When he made it to Harry's arse he skipped past it to get to his thighs and started sucking marks into the pale skin there, making sure to stay up high enough so that they wouldn't be noticeable when Harry was wearing swim shorts. He left open mouthed kisses, he bit softly into the skin, he left bruises then licked over them with his tongue, the whole time his dick getting harder as he listened to Harry's breathing getting heavier and his voice sounding breathless as he gasped Niall's name.

"You love my lips but you love my tongue even more, don't you darlin'?" Niall murmured against Harry's skin as he slid his hands flat up over Harry's arse cheeks. He spread them apart and dragged his index finger down over Harry's hole to his balls then back up again, biting his lip when Harry moaned into the pillow and the sound went straight to Niall's dick, "You liked that didn't you, darlin'? I know. You're always so, so responsive to me, so eager. Turns me on so much."

"Niall..." Harry moaned his name again, his hips squirming around as he rubbed his cock against the mattress, "Fuck. You get me so worked up just by kissing me and touching me."

"I know," Niall leaned down and kissed over the curve of one of Harry's butt cheeks, playfully nipping with his teeth as he went, "I love it so much, darlin'. I love making you feel so good."

"Niall _please_ ," Harry begged, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Please what?" Niall asked cheekily, pulling Harry's cheeks apart again and blowing gently over his hole.

"Oh fuck, fuck," Harry cursed, arching his back to try and shove his arse up in Niall's face, "Please do what I think you're going to do before I explode!"

Niall chuckled and laid his palms flat on Harry's arse, moving them up to Harry's hips and pushing down, "Only if you're good for me. Keep those hips on the bed or I'll stop."

"Yes, yes, okay," Harry nodded frantically into the pillow while completely relaxing his entire body under Niall's touch, "I'll be good. Just - _please_ put your mouth on me."

Niall licked his lips and tugged on his own cock for a minute, giving himself a bit of relief. Listening to his husband's voice all needy and begging always turned him on so much and if Niall is being honest then the fact that he's the only person who gets to hear Harry that way is what really does it for him. Knowing that there is one person in this world that trusts you with everything, that you trust with everything in return, is such a powerful feeling. So powerful it can make you stop just to take a deep breath sometimes.

Deciding he wasn't going to make Harry wait any longer Niall spread Harry's cheeks open again and placed a soft kiss on his opening. He licked his tongue out slightly and swirled it around getting Harry's entrance a bit wet before he licked down to his balls, sucking first one and then the other into his mouth and humming so that Harry can feel the vibrations.

"Feel good?" Niall asked when he pulled off long enough to grab the lube they left on the bedside table. He wasn't planning on fucking Harry right now but he wanted to get in there, get him nice and wet and opened up so he could get in there with his fingers and tongue and make him come so hard he saw stars.

"So good," Harry said over his shoulder. He looked down at Niall with heavy lidded eyes and a plump, cherry red lip from biting down on it. Niall wanted to kiss him and suck that lip into his own mouth so that's exactly what he did, kissing Harry's lips and sucking on his bottom lip until he was whimpering.

"Put your head back down for me now, darlin'. Be good and let me make you come," Niall whispered against Harry's lips then he crawled back down and got to work eating his husband out.

He started with long, flat strokes of his tongue over Harry's entrance, slicking the area up with his spit a little bit. Then he started kissing around the area leaving open mouth kisses from his entrance to his balls and back up again. When he started sucking on his hole while squeezing his cheeks and kneading them with his fingers, Harry started to curse into the pillow and let out high pitched whines that only got Niall going more, sucking harder and moaning over Harry's hole so the vibrations could be felt around the tight ring of muscle.

"Oh my - oh fuck, Ni." Harry gasped out, his fingers clenched in the duvet, "Your fucking tongue."

Niall chuckled and grabbed the flavoured bottle of lube from beside him, putting some on his finger and slowly sliding the finger inside Harry. He began moving it in and out to open Harry up a bit, then he got back in there with his tongue, licking more and more inside Harry as he got looser.

For the next several minutes Niall kept going with his finger while alternating between licking inside of Harry and sucking on his hole. When he moved up to two fingers he began to scissor them inside to open Harry up even more and then he was able to get his tongue in as far as it would go, pushing it inside with his fingers and moaning at how good Harry's tight heat felt.

" _Fuck_!" Harry wailed into the pillow, his fist pounding on the bed. Niall knew he wanted to push his arse back into Niall's face and rut against the bed to provide some relief for his cock but he wasn't doing it, he was being good for Niall. Always so good for him.

Niall eventually got Harry loose enough to crook his fingers to hit Harry's prostate. When he did, Harry made a loud keening noise and started begging for release but Niall didn't let him, not just yet. He kept fucking his fingers hard into Harry while licking his tongue in there too, lube and saliva running freely down his chin. He repeatedly kept hitting Harry's prostate and with every cry and moan from his husband Niall could feel himself getting closer and closer so he decided it was time to let Harry come.

"Get up on your knees for me darlin'," Niall said when he pulled his mouth away from Harry's hole.

"I can't!" Harry practically sobbed into the pillow, "Oh God! I'm so close. My legs feel like jello. Niall, please!"

Niall ran his palm gently over Harry's lower back to soothe him and kissed a trail up to his shoulder so he could whisper in his ear, "I need you on your knees darlin'. Then I'm gonna make you come. I promise."

Harry whined into the pillow but managed to push himself up on shaking arms and stick his bum out just the way Niall wanted. Looking at Harry this way was nearly enough to make Niall grab his own dick and jerk himself off until he came. It wouldn't take long - he was already so close. He wanted to make Harry come first, though. This was about Harry first, just like Harry had put Niall first that morning when they snuck off to a bathroom in the Syco building so Harry could suck him off.

"You're so perfect, H. God are you ever perfect," Niall said as he got on his knees behind Harry and slipped his fingers back inside his arse. He began to move them in and out quickly, hitting Harry's prostate every time while his free hand gripped Harry's hip to keep him steady, "You can touch yourself, darlin'. Wanna see you come now."

Harry sobbed loudly and quickly grabbed his dick, jerking himself off quickly using his precome as a lubricant. The sound of his hand flying over his dick and the moans and gasps coming from his mouth were driving Niall mad, his own cock curling up against his stomach and looking an angry red from lack of attention.

Harry cried out loudly a minute later and his body collapsed back down on the bed when he finally came. The sounds he made and the way he looked tipped Niall almost over the edge and he quickly took his fingers out of Harry and grabbed his own dick, calling out Harry's name when he spurted come all over Harry's lower back and arse.

"Fuck!" Niall sprawled out on the bed next to Harry and tried to catch his breath. He looked over at his husband who still had his face buried in the pillow and poked him in the shoulder, "You okay, darlin'?"

Harry slowly lifted his head and turned it to the side so he could look at Niall. He had a blissful look on his face so he must be alright, "I'm pretty sure we can't use this duvet tonight since it's full of my come but yeah, I'm pretty alright."

Niall laughed loudly and rolled onto his side so he could slowly kiss his husband. When he pulled back he kissed his nose and smiled softly at him, "Was that good? I wanted you to feel as good as you made me feel this morning."

Harry smiled up at him, his close mouthed smile that still made his dimples pop out, "Niall. You were amazing as always. You know my body better than even I do. You know exactly what to do to make me feel good. Always."

"I love you so much, Harry. All I ever want is to make you happy," Niall said softly, his hand coming up to brush through Harry's hair.

"You make me happy every single day," Harry promised, "Right now it would make me happy if you helped me to the shower because my whole body feels like jello."

Niall laughed loudly again and got off the bed to go into the bathroom. He started the shower then came back and grabbed Harry's hand, dragging him onto his feet and into the bathroom, "I'll wash your hair and get my come off you."

"Where did you come?" Harry stepped into the shower while trying to look behind him, "I was on such a high I didn't even feel it."

Niall stepped in and closed the door, reaching for a washcloth and putting some body wash on it so he could wash Harry's back, "On your back and arse. Should have taken a picture. You looked so good, darlin'"

Harry laughed and dipped his head under the spray to wet his hair while Niall cleaned him off, "We gonna head back out into the sunshine after this? Maybe find the lake?"

"Sounds good to me," Niall agreed, then they both went quiet as they cleaned up so they could get out and continue enjoying their romantic vacation.

 

~~~

  
The next four days were about as perfect as Harry could ever ask for. Being alone with Niall so much reminded him of the beginning of their relationship when it was just them, of their honeymoon when they travelled parts of the world together before his tour resumed in America. It was just them. No bodyguards or managers or any other entourage - just the two of them against the world. It was one of the best times in his life and he was brought back to those moments many times throughout their four day stay in Sibton.

Now as he wakes up at six in the morning on their last day there, he has mixed emotions. Niall is laying in bed beside him fast asleep with his hair tousled and a faint smile on his face. He's happy and content in his sleep and Harry wants to stay there and watch him forever. At the same time though, he misses their family, the children they have together and have raised and are still raising. He misses his boys Charlie and Matty and the adventure it is being their Papa. He misses his beautiful baby girl, Nori, who is so smart she constantly keeps him on his toes when talking about literature and politics, he misses his feisty baby girl, Kate, who never fails to make him laugh and can stop you in your tracks with her witty sarcasm, he misses his bigger boys, Rory and Finn, his two star athletes who also have hearts of gold and will do anything for the people they love, and he misses his little Ryanne, his tiny little baby girl who greets him every morning with a smile and a gurgle.

Niall began to stir beside him and Harry watched with bated breath, waiting for the first glimpse of those gorgeous blue eyes. It was something he looked forward to every morning - that first moment when Niall squinted his eyes open and asked what time it was and Harry got to look into his eyes. They were still as blue as they ever were and they still had the ability to make Harry speechless when Niall looked at him with such intensity and love.

As if on cue, Niall's eyes fluttered open and fixed on Harry, a small closed mouth smile on his face, "Hey darlin'," His voice was rough and scratchy with sleep and gave Harry goosebumps, "What time is it?"

Harry giggled because he knew Niall was going to ask that. It had become the norm over their many years together, "Hi, baby. It's just after six."

Niall moved around under the duvet until he was laying on his side with his cheek pressed into the pillow and he was looking at Harry through one eye and a silly smile on his face, "That's awfully early isn't it? We only went to sleep three hours ago."

Oh Harry was well aware they had spent most of the night after they ate dinner fucking each other until three in the morning. They had some wine by the fire, played some stupid game on Niall's phone until they were both giggling messes, then they ended up rolling around laughing on the sheepskin rug until Harry became the dominant one for once and pinned Niall's arms to the floor. It didn't happen often but occasionally Niall liked Harry to take control. He fucked Niall a lot, yes, but not in a dominant way very often. Niall did have a thing for Harry getting jealous though and Harry liked to act out scenarios where he saw someone hitting on Niall and had to show Niall that he belonged to him. Maybe it was a bit corny but they loved it and that was all that mattered.

"It's our last morning here. We leave this evening. I thought we could go out and watch the sun finish coming up?" Harry said, sifting his fingers through Niall's hair.

"Yeah," Niall smiled into the pillow then stretched his body out under the blankets, "That sounds good, darlin'."

Harry kissed Niall's cheek then got up and put on some boxers and joggers. Niall got up and did the same thing then they grabbed the duvet and headed out through the kitchen, shoving their feet in their shoes before they opened the door and stepped out.

"God!" Niall wrapped his arms around his bare chest and shivered, "Why do early mornings have to be so cold in England? Even in the Summer?"

Harry chuckled and sat down at the table, wrapping himself in the duvet and pulling Niall down onto his lap. Niall curled himself into Harry's body and Harry wrapped the duvet around Niall as well, making a kind of cocoon for them, "That better?"

"Much better. Snuggling with you is one of my favourite things to do," Niall said, smiling against Harry's neck.

"Mine too," Harry whispered and rested his chin on top of Niall's head, holding him close and enjoying the way he feels against him.

They watched in silence for the next half hour as the sun continued to rise high in the sky. It was beautiful the way it slowly lit everything up and made the vibrant colours of the trees seem to come alive. Harry was really glad they did this and maybe it was something they could try to do more often.

"Harry?" Niall's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes baby?"

Niall adjusted his body in Harry's lap so he could look at him, "I've been thinking about something for a long time, since before Ryanne was born. I didn't want to bring it up because it was just something in the back of my mind and I wasn't that serious about it. I've been coming back to it a lot more lately, though, and this trip with you has kind of push me over the edge so to speak. Made everything crystal clear for me. I think I want to retire, H."

Harry sat speechless, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to decide what to say. So many things were going through his head he didn't know what to say first.

"I can see you're shocked," Niall laughed softly, "I can't blame you. I've always been adamant about keeping my job and not living off your money just because I could. I love my job and genuinely love working so I didn't want to stop."

"...but now you do?" Harry finally found his voice.

"Yes," Niall nodded, "I do. This coming June will be my thirtieth year working for Chelsea. I feel like after thirty years of working it's a good time to retire. I just - I have other things I want to do, H. I want to be around more with our kids, I want to spend as much time as possible with our grandchildren, I want spend time with my parents. Your idea about a house in Ireland really got me thinking. I want to be there to oversee everything, to make sure it's perfect and the way we want it. I want to spend Summers there with our kids and grandkids. I can't do all that if I'm working. I want to enjoy my life while I'm young and still can. Thirty years is long enough to work. I want to retire in June."

Harry wanted to cry. He wanted to jump up and down because he was so happy. He's always been so proud of Niall and his accomplishments, proud that he was his own man who wanted to work and not just follow Harry around everywhere. To have him home all the time, though, nothing could make Harry more happy. "Baby, if that's truly what you want then you know I'll support you. I just want you to be sure so you have no regrets."

"I know. I was cautious about that. That's why I've been thinking about it for so long. Then every time I see our grandkids I just yearn to be with them more, then Ryanne was born and Rory and Anna are having another baby, Finn has Ozzy and Jacob now and I want to get to know them more as well. Then we came away this weekend and it just solidified everything for me, made everything so clear. I want this more often. I want to be with my husband and my family. I _want_ this. I really, really do." Niall said, his voice full of passion and feeling.

"Oh God," Harry let out a sob and hugged Niall tight, "I want it, too. I want it too. I'm so happy right now. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, darlin'" Niall said, holding onto Harry, "I can't wait to start the next chapter of our lives together."

"Let's not wait," Harry pulled back and laughed, "Let's start the next chapter of our lives by making good use of that bed inside until it's time to check out."

Niall laughed and jumped up from Harry's lap, leaving Harry swallowed in the duvet, "I'll race you inside!"

Harry watched after his husband and laughed, not even caring that he was going to lose this race. He was going to get his husband full time soon. Nothing could bring him down right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii everybody!
> 
> Here's the next chapter and Fizzy is back! I hope you enjoy it. Thank you all once again for reading and supporting this story. Let me know what you think of this chapter or just send me a message to chat if you want :)
> 
> I hope you're all enjoying Harry's new song. I know I am!! So proud of him :)
> 
> Enjoy!

 

 

  
On Finn's fourth night in New York, Jacob went to have a sleep over with Rachel and his cousins so Ozzy could take Finn out to a baseball game and after to the bar where he used to perform all the time before he hit it big on 'The Voice'. His best friend, Christian, bartended there before he became Ozzy's drummer and when Ozzy isn't on tour he still goes back there to help out. All of Ozzy's friends hang out there and Finn is excited to meet them.

"Ever been to Yankee Stadium before?" Ozzy asked him as they made their way inside and to their seats in the front row right near the Yankees dugout.

"No. It's pretty impressive though," Finn said as he looked around, "I have no doubt these prime seats cost a fortune."

"They probably do but I didn't pay for these. See, when I was on tour the Yankees shortstop tweeted about how sick he thought my album was. I'm a huge fan so I freaked out naturally," Ozzy laughed, "Major fan girl moment. Anyway, I tweeted back and said I'd love to have him at one of my shows. Next thing I know I'm getting a call from him saying he's already got tickets for him and his girlfriend but they'd love to meet me. Naturally I said they should come backstage and long story short - he said he'd get me tickets whenever I wanted them."

"That him out there warming up?" Finn nodded his head in the direction of the shortstop position where a player was tossing a ball around with another player.

"That's him. His name is Michael Gutierrez," Ozzy said.

"He any good?" Finn asked.

"Yep. Gold glove winner three years in a row,"

"Nice," Finn said, impressed, "Hopefully I'll see some brilliant plays then."

"You probably will," Ozzy said, "You want a beer when the waitress comes over here?"

"Why am I not surprised these seats are fancy enough to have waitresses serving people?" Finn chuckled, "And yeah I'll have a Guinness."

Ozzy nodded and they continued to chat and watch the players until a waitress appeared and they ordered beer and hot dogs. It didn't take long for her to bring everything back and once Finn bit into his hot dog, he had to admit Ozzy was right when he said hot dogs always tasted better at a ball game.

Soon enough the stadium began to fill up and the game was getting ready to start when a very frazzled looking man suddenly came jogging down to the front. He was young and wearing a lanyard with some sort of pass on it. Finn figured he was an intern, probably a very underpaid intern who was constantly running around doing tasks that are heaped upon him.

"Excuse me? Mr. Peters?" The man stopped right by Ozzy's seat, squatting down so he was at eye level with Ozzy, "I work with the Yankees front office. We got word a short while ago from representatives of Mr. Gutierrez. He would like to invite you and your guest to meet the team after the game. Would that be acceptable for you?"

Finn had to struggle not to start chuckling at the poor kid. He looked absolutely terrified and was being so careful to make sure he sounded so professional. He wished he could tell the lad he could really relax around Ozzy and himself. They may be rich but they certainly weren't stuck up snobs like a lot of other people sitting in the seats surrounding them.

"Finn? You want to meet the team?" Ozzy asked him, his eyes kind of wide. Finn wasn't surprised. Ozzy had been a fan of the Yankees since he was a kid. It would be a dream come true for him to meet the team and get to go underneath the stands into the Yankees Clubhouse. (If you're not familiar with baseball, locker rooms are called clubhouses)

"I'm game if you are," Finn grinned at his boyfriend knowing full well Ozzy was going to say yes.

Ozzy turned back to the employee and accepted his offer and the man told them security would come get them after the game if they could please stay in their seats? Ozzy agreed and the man took off again, undoubtably to his next mission that his bosses doled out.

"Finn," Ozzy grabbed his hand and looked at him with wide eyes, "All those players out there. We're going to meet them."

"I know!" Finn laughed and leaned in for a kiss, "I'm very happy for you. I don't know any of them so I'll just smile and nod while you freak out in there."

"Oh my God!" Ozzy looked like he was about to panic, "Don't let me freak out, baby! I'll make a fool of myself."

Finn shook his head fondly and chuckled at his boyfriend again. It never occurred to Ozzy that some of those guys might be huge fans of his and _they_ might be the ones freaking out. Even though he was proper famous he wasn't conceited and certainly didn't assume everyone loved him and wanted to meet him. It was something Finn loved immensely about Ozzy.

Once the game started it didn't take long for Finn to get into it. He'd been to games before when he was growing up. When his Pop would be on tour or doing something else they had to be in America for, his Dad always made sure to take them to see as much as they could in whatever city they were in while their Pop was working. So he knew some of what was going on and when he didn't, Ozzy happily filled him in.

Over the next three hours they drank beer, stood up and cheered when the Yankees made a good play or got a run, sang along to the music during breaks between innings and jeered the home plate umpire when they felt he got the strike zone fucked up. In the end the Yankees managed to win and Finn had to admit he had a great time. He loved going out and doing normal things with his boyfriend. Just forgetting who they were for awhile and enjoying themselves. He needed to talk to Ozzy about making sure they always found time to be normal. He definitely felt it was important, especially since he grew up watching his parents do that exact thing and make a success of it.

A member of the security staff came to get them after a few minutes, letting them know it was okay to step over the short wall and onto the field so they could walk down into the dugout and into the tunnel that led to the Yankees Clubhouse. Finn couldn't help the smirk that was on his face the whole time they were walking. He was holding Ozzy's hand and could feel him sweating, not to mention the fact that his boyfriend was looking around at everything in awe like he had just walked into a palace or something. In a way, at least to Ozzy, they kind of did walk into a palace. Ozzy grew up worshipping the Yankees and coming to Yankee Stadium for games ever since he was a kid. Now he actually gets to see behind the scenes. Meet his favourite players and walk the halls of the famous stadium. It was a big deal for Ozzy and Finn thought he was absolutely adorable right now.

Once they got to the huge double doors that led inside the clubhouse, they were led inside to a large area that could only be described as a hang out area. Their were large flat screen televisions mounted on the walls, lots of really comfortable looking couches and armchairs to sit in and a huge area that had food and drinks provided for the players and staff. The room was oval shaped with the players lockers on either side and right now there were a few players relaxing near their lockers while the rest must be further in the clubhouse getting treatment for nagging injuries or still in the showers. It was similar to Chelsea's locker room so Finn felt he had a pretty good idea how things worked here.

"Hey! Ozzy! Thanks for coming man," Michael Gutierrez was walking toward them still wearing his uniform pants but no shirt. He was one of the players hanging around having some food and relaxing before hitting the showers.

"Hey Mike," Ozzy smiled and did some complicated looking handshake with the guy, one that Finn knew he would definitely not be replicating, "Thanks for inviting us and thank you for the tickets. The game was awesome. This is my boyfriend, Finn. I told you about him when I called about the tickets."

"Yep. Really nice to meet you, man," Michael turned to shake Finn's hand, a big smile on his face, "We're big fans in here."

Finn shook Michael's hand, his smile turning into a bewildered look, "A fan? Of Ozzy you mean?"

Michael laughed and turned to look over his shoulder, calling out to some other players Finn recognized from the game. When they looked over their expressions turned to one of shock and they immediately came over, their mouthes open in disbelief.

"What the fuck??" One of them, Finn thinks it's the left fielder named Casey, said, laughing in disbelief, "Finn Horan? You fucking know Finn Horan, Mikey??"

"Naw man. I just met him. He's here with Ozzy. Remember I met him at one of his shows a couple years ago?" Michael explained.

"Dude...I can't believe you're here right now," Casey laughed and held out his hand to Finn, "I'm Aaron. Aaron Casey. I'm a fan."

"Of me?" Finn said stupidly, completely caught off guard by this. A few other players came up and introduced themselves to both Finn and Ozzy but Finn knew he'd never remember all their names. He was still stuck on the fact these famous athletes knew who he was.

"Obviously you, babe," Ozzy put his arm around Finn's waist and chuckled, "Why is that so shocking?"

Finn is speechless, not knowing what to say at the moment. Logically he knows people in America do watch British football, people all over the world watch it, he just never really thought about these people knowing or caring who he was. Now that these athletes who are famous themselves are standing in front of him saying they're fans of his...well he was a bit taken aback.

"Hey man. When we have games on Saturday or Sunday afternoons we're here at the stadium pretty early getting in some batting practice and stuff and a bunch of us are always in here in between with the soccer matches on. It's pretty fucking brilliant some of the players over there. I don't know how you do half the stuff you do. You've scored some sick goals dude. Sick. Can't wait until your knee is rehabbed and you're back out there," A guy he thinks is named Kevin says. Finn thinks maybe he's one of the teams pitchers but he can't be sure.

"Wow..." Finn manages to say, chuckling when he hears Ozzy scoff at him, "Sorry. Sorry. I'm just - I wasn't expecting to walk in here and have anybody know who I was. It's really nice to meet you all though. I loved the game and I'm pretty sure I couldn't hit a baseball so I guess we're even."

The guys all laughed and after that it seemed the ice was broken a bit and Finn found himself in conversations with some of the players about baseball and footie. He got separated from Ozzy but he didn't mind. He could hear his boyfriend laughing somewhere in the room and knew he was enjoying himself and having the time of his life. That's all that mattered to Finn. To be honest, Finn was having a good time himself. There were some really cool guys on the team and Finn loved talking sports, any sports really, so it was a good time.

By the time they left the stadium after chatting with the players and getting selfies and their own jerseys as a gift from Michael, it was well after midnight. The night was still young, though, as far as they were concerned. Jacob was having fun with his aunt and cousins so they didn't have to rush home. They could stay out all night if they wanted to.

"Feeling good?" Finn asked his boyfriend as they climbed in the back of the SUV that was driving them to the bar where Ozzy used to perform. Ozzy had hired a car service so they could have some privacy on their date night and not have to worry about getting cabs and getting noticed by fans.

"So good," Ozzy rested his head against the seat and grinned at Finn, "I can't believe I just hung out with all those guys. Four years ago I was watching them on tv and tonight I was in the front row at Yankee Stadium and then I was in the clubhouse! It's unbelievable."

"You're so cute," Finn turned his body so he could look at Ozzy and cup his cheek with his hand, "I love seeing you so excited and happy. It's been a great night so far."

Ozzy lifted his hand up to rest on top of Finn's and leaned in to kiss him quickly, "It really has been. I'm so happy you were there with me. Now you're going to meet all the gang at my favourite bar - I really am so happy."

A little while later they were let out of the car in an alley by the back door of the bar. A bouncer was there and immediately greeted Ozzy with a smile and a one armed hug then they were let inside and Ozzy led the way down a hallway toward the front area where the tables, bar and makeshift stage were set up. It felt a lot like a pub and Finn loved it immediately.

"This way," Ozzy said into his ear so he could be heard over the band that was currently playing. He took Finn's hand and was leading him over to the bar in the middle of the large room. It was square shaped and there were four bartenders behind the counters, one working each of the four counters. Ozzy led them around to one in particular and Finn immediately knew it was Chris working that station. He recognized him from pictures.

"Hey!" Ozzy shouted above the music and slapped his hand on the bar, "What do I have to do to get a fucking drink around here, huh?"

Chris' head immediately popped up and he looked in Ozzy's direction as he was pouring a pint for a customer. He threw his head back and laughed, sliding the pint across the bar to the customer before he wiped his hands on a towel and made his way over, "We don't serve rude, obnoxious rockstars around here. However I can get you whatever you like," Chris said to Finn, a smirk on his face as he ignored Ozzy.

"I'll take a Guinness please," Finn played along, his own smirk on his face.

Chris turned his back as if he was going to walk back behind the bar to get Finn's Guinness but turned around at the last second and threw himself at Ozzy, "Come here you asshole!" He grabbed Ozzy and the men laughed and hugged each other so hard they both nearly toppled to the floor, "I missed you you bastard!"

"Oh right!" Ozzy scoffed, pulling back and lightly tapping Chris on the cheek with his hand, "You hung up on me two weeks ago because you said I was acting too lovey dovey and it was making you sick."

Chris let out a big laugh and turned to Finn, "That's actually true. I'm pretty sure this idiot has poems written about his love for you somewhere," He held out his hand and smiled at Finn, "I'm Chris. It's really, really good to meet you man. Heard a lot about you."

"Finn," Finn shook the man's hand and happily accepted the bro hug he was given, "I've heard a lot about you, too, though there weren't any poems. If there were I'd have to kill you."

Chris laughed another loud laugh and slapped Finn on the shoulder, "Don't worry. Your boy is safe with me."

Ozzy slid his arm around Finn's waist again and snuggled into him, "I _am_ his boy. Don't want nobody else."

"Oh God," A voice said from behind them. When they made their way in front of Ozzy and Finn to stand next to Chris, Finn saw it was another one of Ozzy's friends he recognized from pictures. Ben. "He's being disgusting already. All loved up and glowing. Don't suppose you can detach yourself long enough to hug your old friend."

Ozzy shook his head and let go of Finn to give Ben a bear hug, "Come here, shit head. I missed your ugly face."

Ben laughed and picked Ozzy up off the floor, swinging him around before putting him back down again, "I haven't missed yours! It's on every magazine and everywhere online. Still taking the world by storm. Can't wait to hear the full album man. Just the first single is sick."

Finn had to agree with Ben on that one. The first single had been released two weeks ago and was holding steady at number one in several countries. Finn couldn't wait to see the music video Ozzy had just shot for it last week. He certainly looked sexy as hell in the pics he posted on Twitter of him in the outfit he's wearing in the video.

"Thanks man," Ozzy smiled at Ben, "You'll hear it soon. Before it comes out for sure."

"Are the rest of the guys here?" Chris asked Ben when he and Ozzy finally separated.

"Yeah. Our usual table over in the corner. I came to get another round," Ben answered.

"I'm buying!" Finn spoke up before Ozzy could say anything, "You can start me a tab right Chris?" Finn pulled out his wallet and passed over his credit card to Chris.

"What?? No! I'm buying! Finn put that away!" Ozzy tried to slap at his hand that was holding the credit card.

"I think that's the first time you've ever said that to me," Finn said with a smirk on his face.

Chris immediately guffawed while Ben seemed to take a minute to catch on to what Ozzy just said. When he did he roared with laughter while Ozzy stared wide eyed at Finn and clearly tried to keep a grin off his face.

"Oh my God!" Chris gasped for breath and slid an arm around Finn's shoulder, "You - you are definitely going to fit in with us, Finn. We're happy to have you here."

"Yes," Ozzy rolled his eyes but looked fondly at Finn, "All it takes to fit in is making fun of me."

Finn chuckled and stepped away from Chris to hug Ozzy, "I love you and to be fair that _is_ the first time you've ever said that to me and I'm still paying by the way. Anything your friends get I want it to be put on my tab. I want to do this. Don't argue with me please."

"Okay," Ozzy hugged Finn back and kissed his cheek by his ear, "I love you, too. Thank you."

They stepped out of the hug and Finn gave Chris his credit card. Chris went behind the bar and swiped it then handed it back and quickly started pouring drinks - already knowing what everyone was having since they were all friends. Once the drinks were ready, Ozzy and Finn helped carry them over to the table while Chris went to clock out for the night so he could enjoy the rest of the night with his friends.

"Okay fuckers! Ozzy's here!" Ozzy yelled when they got near the table. Three guys sitting at the table turned their heads toward the yelling and stood up cheering and grabbing for Ozzy. It went on for a few minutes so Finn made sure the drinks were all safely on the table then stood back and watched with a huge smile on his face as Ozzy greeted his friends.

"We're a bit of a rowdy bunch sometimes," Chris said as he came up behind Finn, "We're harmless though. Don't let what you may see tonight scare you away."

Finn laughed and shook his head as he continued to watch Ozzy and his friends roughhousing, "Not a chance. We act crazier than this on the pitch when we score a goal."

"That's actually pretty accurate," Chris looked thoughtful for a second then shook his head and chuckled, "You're usually the one scoring those goals. It's quite impressive to watch."

Finn could feel himself blush at the compliment but knew it was too dark in the bar for Chris to notice so he just shrugged and gave him a lopsided grin, "Thanks. A lot of hard work pays off I guess."

"Humble too!" Chris slapped him on the back, "It's really good to meet you. Seriously. Ozzy and Jacob deserve someone like you. I'm glad they found you."

Finn blushed even harder at that comment and he would normally duck his head and try to deflect attention from himself in instances like these but not this time. This time he couldn't help but smile wide and gaze over at Ozzy. He agreed that Ozzy and Jacob deserved the best, someone who would love them and take care of them, and Finn was determined to be that for them.

"Hey! Hey!" Ozzy shouted through his laughter as he pulled away from his friends, "I want you assholes to meet someone," He slid an arm around Finn's waist and pulled him close, kissing him on the cheek, "This is my boyfriend, Finn. Finn, these are my good friends Andrew who we call Drew, Johnny, and Malcolm."

Finn smiled at the three guys and stepped forward to shake all of their hands, getting pulled into a bro hug by all of them. He laughed and hugged them back then took a seat at the table next to Drew with Ozzy pulling up a chair on his other side and sliding an arm across his shoulders.

"So you've all met Finn now so you can stop hounding me about it," Ozzy said, smirking at his friends.

"Fuck you!" Malcolm tossed a peanut across the table at Ozzy, nearly landing it in Ozzy's beer, "We're keeping Finn and sending you back to England on your own."

All the guys laughed at the comment while Ozzy glared at them and pulled Finn even closer, "I'd like to see you try. Jacob would disown all of you."

"Meh," Ben shrugged his shoulders, "We'll keep Jacob too. We all adore that little munchkin."

Ozzy snorted and rolled his eyes, "He would probably go with you, too. I'm pretty sure he loves Finn more than me."

The guys all laughed and Finn reached up to hold Ozzy's hand that was dangling over his shoulder, smiling fondly at him, "He doesn't. You're his Papa, the one person in his life who has been there for every second and taken care of him no matter what. He worships you and loves you very much, just like I do."

"Oh Jesus," Johnny cringed and put his hands over his face, "The sap. I can't watch. I really can't."

Finn laughed when Ozzy gave his friends the middle finger without looking away from him. When Ozzy leaned in to kiss him, all four guys made heckling noises and threw balled up napkins at them. Finn laughed into the kiss and gave them a middle finger of his own which sent Ozzy into fits of laughter that completely lit up his face. Finn loved it, loved this whole night. The atmosphere was great, Ozzy's friends were great, the music was great. What he loved the most, though, was the way Ozzy's friends clearly loved and cared for him. He loved their easy banter and the way they all lit up when they saw him. He also loved the way they accepted *him* so easily. He felt like part of the gang already and he hadn't even been here that long.

"So Oz, are you gonna get up there tonight and perform for old times sake?" Malcolm asked when they all calmed down.

"Oh I don't know," Ozzy said, sitting back and absentmindedly running his finger over the rim of his glass, "I hadn't planned on it."

"You should man," Johnny said, "It'll be great. The band that's up there now have been playing here a lot over the past year. They've become a favourite of the regulars just like you used to be. They'll lend you an acoustic and you can get up there and do a cover or two like you used to. Or even a couple of songs from your first album."

"Ohhh I know! You could go up there and do a couple songs with the band up there now. When they take a break you can meet them. They're fans of yours," Chris said excitedly, "You could do a couple of covers together or I'm sure they know the music so some of your songs."

Ozzy laughed at his friends excitement and turned to look at Finn, "What do you think? Should I? I didn't really want to draw attention to us on our night out..."

Finn smiled at him encouragingly, "I think you should absolutely go for it. I'd love to see you up there. I haven't seen you live yet. It'll be fun."

"Yeah and if it ends up on Twitter and a crowd shows up here, you know the bouncers will take care of it. They've got a soft spot for you. When you want to leave we'll get you a car and whisk you out the back," Drew said.

"Alright, alright," Ozzy laughed and held up the hand that wasn't around Finn's shoulder, "I'll do it. It'll be great. Just like old times."

Ben raised his glass up in the air, indicating he was about to make a toast or something along those lines, "You've always said you'll never forget where you came from, Oz, and you really haven't. Most famous people who say that are talking out of their asses but not you. You're a class act my friend. More than worthy of a raised glass."

"I agree. To Ozzy!" Malcolm raised his glass and was soon followed by Chris, Drew, Johnny and Finn.

Once they all took a drink and Ozzy simply sat there looking a tad sheepish and a whole lot proud, Chris stood up and clapped Ozzy on the shoulder, "Come on, I'll introduce you to the band. Looks like they're coming off for a break."

Ozzy nodded and pushed his chair back to stand up, turning to Finn, "You wanna come with?"

Finn shook his head and leaned in for a quick kiss, "You go on. I'm gonna stay here with these guys for a bit."

"Alright. Text me if you need anything," Ozzy said, then turned to glare at his friends, "You better not give him any trouble."

Ben laughed incredulously and shook his head, "No worries there. He's already proven he can hold his own anyway. We probably like him more than you by now. Right fellas?"

"Yep! Finn is my new best friend!" Drew smiled wide and put his arm around Finn, making Finn laugh.

"Baby," Ozzy looked down at Finn, "You have my permission to hit any of these people of you need to. I'll try not to be too long."

"Ha ha," Ben laughed sarcastically and threw his napkin at Ozzy, "You can fuck off now. Your boy will be just fine."

Ozzy winked at Finn then walked off with Chris while giving his friends the middle finger. Finn shook his head and lifted his glass to finish off his beer then held up the empty glass and asked everyone if they wanted another. They all said yes so he went up to the bar with Ben since Ben knew what everyone was drinking and came back five minutes later with new pints and shots for everyone.

"By the way, drinks are on Finn tonight guys," Ben said as they both sat back down at the table.

"Really?" Malcolm paused with his glass halfway to his mouth. When Finn nodded, Malcolm changed course and tapped his glass against Finn's with a huge smile on his face, "Well then! As you say in England, cheers mate!"

Finn let out a loud laugh and tapped Malcolm's glass along with the rest of the guys, "Cheers!"

"Not gonna lie, it's much appreciated man," Johnny said, "I'm starting my last year at university in a couple weeks and student loans are a bitch. Won't be in my budget to have too many nights like this once I'm back in school and not able to work full time like I do during the summer."

"It's alright, mate," Finn said "I get it. My mates just got finished with their first year at uni a few months ago. They're all on a budget so whenever we go out I like to buy the drinks. They argued with me at first but I genuinely want to do it so I wore them down eventually."

"Is that weird for you? Watching all your friends go off to college while you're out working?" Malcolm asked, looking genuinely interested in what Finn has to say.

"I mean," Finn shrugged, "I guess it kind of is. I've become good friends with some of my teammates though, so it's kind of a balance between both worlds."

"Do you feel like you're missing out on the college experience?" Ben asked.

"Not really. I've never wanted to go to uni. I liked school and think I was good at it but I've never wanted to do anything but play football. I think when I was really little I just idolized my big brother and wanted to play because it meant spending lots of time with him teaching me everything he knows but once I started playing and got into it I just fell in love with the game. There's a lot more to it than a lot of people realize." Finn answered.

"Dude!" Drew's eyes got wide and he slapped a hand down on the table excitedly, "Me, Ozzy and Benny here, have been trying to tell Johnny, Mal and Chris that for _years_ but nooooo they think soccer is boooorrrring. They don't understand the strategy behind it all. They don't understand that there are set plays that are played out just to get the ball down to you in the box. It's beautiful man, truly beautiful."

"Oh my God," Malcolm started laughing and reached over to push what was left of Drew's pint away from him, "When he starts waxing poetic about stuff it's time to cut him off."

"You can cut me off all you want. It doesn't change the fact that soccer is a beautiful sport and you fuckers don't appreciate it," Drew said with a smirk on his face.

"Whoa whoa whoa. I am not one of those fuckers. When I was nine and we took a trip to England my Dad took me to an Arsenal game and I've been in love with the sport ever since," Ben said, making sure he wasn't lumped in with the three non soccer fans.

Finn was sitting back, thoroughly enjoying the conversation with a huge smile on his face but when Ben said that he went to an Arsenal match he sat forward and rested his forearms on the table, "You've seen an Arsenal match? You've seen my brother in action then."

"Yeah, I did and I'm about to admit something against my better judgement. After that match I became obsessed with soccer and I went home from England with a bunch of Arsenal stuff - specifically a Rory O'Brien jersey and poster for my wall," Ben admitted, cringing and putting one hand over his face.

"Wait!" Malcolm sat up straight, a huge smirk on his face, "Is this Rory O'Brien Finn's brother?? Did you have a poster of Finn's brother on your wall?? Oh my God!" Malcolm grabbed Johnny's arm and the two of them started laughing gleefully, "Can we call him? We have to call him. Finn you have to call your brother so we can tell him!"

Ben groaned loudly and sat back in his chair, throwing his head back, "I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. Why do I do this to myself?"

Finn and Drew were both laughing as well but not quite as gleefully as the other two, "It's okay. I had his poster on _my_ wall and he's my own brother."

"Yeaaahhhhh but that's cute. He's your big brother and you idolized him. Benny simply has dumb ass luck that one of his best friends ended up dating the brother of the guy whose poster was on his wall," Malcolm said through his laughter, "Wait - did any of what I just said make sense?"

Ben rolled his eyes at his friends then turned to look at Finn, "Do you play darts or billiards?" Finn nodded, "Come on then. Bring your drink. Drew you coming? We can leave these two giggling brats here."

"Yeah why not?" Drew shrugged and got up from his chair to go with Ben and Finn.

"There's a room in the back for billiards," Ben explained, "Few tables, some darts and some big screen tv's for sports. Impossible to get into this place for the Super Bowl. We're lucky Chris works here when he's not touring with Ozzy and that we've been coming here for years. Got a good relationship with the owners."

"I'd say," Drew snorted, "Since we've been coming here since we were seventeen and the legal drinking age is twenty-one."

"Shit," Finn looked down at his glass and laughed, "I completely forgot I'm not legal in this country. Eighteen is legal back home."

"Meh. Don't worry about it," Drew waved his hand around in the air dismissively, "You look over twenty-one and you're here with a celebrity - you _are_ a celebrity. Nobody ever cards a celebrity."

Once again Finn seriously doubted many people here would recognize him only to be proven wrong an hour later when three people had come up saying they were Chelsea fans and asked for a picture. Finn happily obliged while politely asking if they wouldn't mind not posting the photo until tomorrow, then he always got right back to his game of darts or billiards with Ben and Drew who both didn't bat an eyelash at having to wait. Of course they were best friends with a world famous rock star so they were used to it by now anyway.

"Looks like they're getting ready to go onstage," Johnny said as he walked over to Finn and Drew who were playing billiards while Ben watched on, "You guys coming out?"

Ozzy had texted Finn awhile ago asking if he'd be alright with the guys if he stayed in the back with the band and went over a few things they wanted to do. Finn had texted back a picture of him with Ben and Drew playing darts and said he was having a great time and to keep doing what he was doing. Now after an hour it seemed the band and Ozzy were about to go onstage and Finn wasn't going to miss that for the world.

They got back to their table just as Ozzy had made his way to the front of the stage and people started cheering loudly once they recognized him. It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down then Ozzy stepped up to the mic to speak, "Well hello there you lovely people," Ozzy said cheekily into the mic. The cheering started up again and the mic picked up Ozzy laughing before he stepped back to wait for the room to quiet down.

Finn sat in his spot at the table with a fresh beer, a smile on his face as he watched his boyfriend. He only ever got to see him like this in videos on YouTube so far and he couldn't deny he was really loving finally seeing him on a stage in person. He was so hot with the lights shining down on him, his tattoo covered forearms flexing as he grabbed onto the mic, his green eyes shining as he looked out at the crowd. He was a sight to behold and Finn was taking in every inch of him appreciatively.

"My name is Ozzy and I know you're already acquainted with these guys behind me here," Ozzy spoke again, raising his voice a bit over the cheering, "I asked if I could join them for a few songs and I was lucky enough that they said yes so we're going to do a few songs that happen to be favourites of mine and theirs. I hope you enjoy it."

The music began to play and Finn recognized the first song immediately. It was a Foo Fighters song called "Best of Me" and Finn knew it because his Dad was a fan of the band. That all quickly went out of his mind though, as his eyes were riveted to Ozzy moving around the small stage and performing for the whole room and not just the front. His eyes locked with Finn's a few times and Finn just couldn't look away. He was mesmerized by his boyfriend and his voice that could show such power one minute then go quiet the next then boom! he hits a high note perfectly without any thought at all. He made it all look so effortless just like Finn's Pop did and Finn guessed that was why they were two of the most famous solo artists in the world.

They ended up playing five songs. A couple from the nineteen nineties grunge era that Ozzy was a huge fan of, then a couple of rock songs that were by more recent bands, then they finished with one of Ozzy's songs from his first album that hadn't been released as a single. The crowd in the bar were enjoying it immensely and were extremely loud. Finn saw more than one phone up filming it all so he had no doubt it was all over the internet by now. He wasn't worried about it though. If Ozzy's fans started to pile up outside they'd get through it.

Once Ozzy stepped off stage, everyone wanted a piece of him and Finn knew Ozzy really appreciated his fans so he let him be to take selfies and sign autographs and went back to the game room, this time with Johnny while the others went to get more drinks.

"I've been watching Ozzy performing like that since we were seventeen but I still get the chills," Johnny said as they picked up some darts to play a game, "He's just so good. He was meant to do what he's doing. That's why we encouraged him to try out for "The Voice." I mean, we knew he couldn't go wrong with who the judges were. All of them are solid artists. He was smart to pick your Dad though."

"I call him Pop," Finn clarified with a smile on his face after he took his turn.

"Oh," Johnny paused before throwing his darts, "Yeah. That makes sense since you have two Dad's. It would get confusing for you and your siblings to call them both Dad."

"Yeah," Finn laughed, "It definitely would. Hey. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Johnny leaned against a pool table that wasn't in use while Finn took his turn.

"Have you ever seen Ozzy on tour? I've seen videos of course but that's not the same as in person. Is it as electric as it seems? The crowds seem so loud and he's definitely incredible up on that stage."

Johnny laughed but didn't make any move to take his turn. He stayed with his hips propped up against the table and his arms folded across his chest, a soft smile on his face as he seemed to be thinking about something, "Yeah. I've seen him on tour and you're right he's pretty awesome. Worth every penny of his ticket sales."

"Okay..." Finn paused, sensing something a little off in Johnny's demeanour all of a sudden, "Did I - did I say something wrong? You seem a bit...off all of a sudden."

"No, no. You're fine," Johnny stood up straight and wandered over to the line to take his turn. Once he was finished he turned back to Finn, "I was just thinking about a couple years ago. When Ozzy's album came out and he went on tour, I was having a rough year at university. I have a partial scholarship which is good so that my student loans aren't astronomical when I graduate but to keep the scholarship I have to keep my grades up. I was struggling to do that that year. My focus was all off and, well, I'm not going to go into the girl trouble I had that year," Johnny paused and laughed, rolling his eyes before continuing, "Anyway, Ozzy made it his mission to get me through no matter where he was. He would call me and help me revise even if it was four in the morning wherever he was, he would send encouraging texts or videos with Jakey in them when I had a big exam coming up. He was just my rock. Then whenever I had semester breaks he flew me out on tour, paid for everything to get me there. I fought it at first. I cared too much what people thought of me. I didn't want to be seen as this friend who was taking advantage because Ozzy was suddenly rich. Ozzy had four days in between shows and he actually _flew_ home and showed up at my house. He told me what the media prints doesn't matter. He and everyone else we love knows the truth, that I don't care about his money. He said his family and friends mean the most to him in the world and if he can't spend his money on us then who's he making it for? I could see on his face he really wanted me to come. I think he felt guilty for being away while I was struggling. So I gave in and came out on my breaks. Then during the summer I said I couldn't because I work full time in the summer to help with my loans. So he said I could work on his tour. I ended up hanging with him and Chris all summer while the other guys came out for a week here and a week there when they could and I helped the band with their equipment and helped with the stage set up. It was the best summer of my life. By the time I started school again in September I felt rejuvenated and I've been doing well ever since. I'm a lucky bastard to have him as a friend. He's one of a kind with a heart of gold. Make sure you never take that for granted."

Finn stood there listening to Johnny's story, fighting back tears through most of it. Hearing about how caring and generous his boyfriend is fills him with so much emotion. He was so grateful that Ozzy was his, that Ozzy was in love with him and wanted to be with him. Listening to Johnny - he'd never felt so thankful for something in his life as he was for Ozzy.

"You don't ever have to worry about that. I know what I have in Ozzy. I won't ever let him go. I love him and Jacob too much," Finn said softly, struggling to keep his voice steady in front of this guy he'd only just met.

Johnny stepped up and clapped him on the shoulder, squeezing gently, "That right there is why you're perfect for him. You automatically included Jacob without even thinking about it. That's exactly what those two deserve. Someone who loves them both and understands they come as a package."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Finn smiled at Johnny and Johnny smiled back at him.

After that they finished a couple of games until Finn got distracted by something he really didn't like. There was a table of older guys in their late twenties over in the corner and they kept ordering drinks and making the waitress really uncomfortable with their loud heckling. Some of the stuff they said to her was disgusting and she couldn't have been much older than Nori. Obviously she had to be twenty-one to have a job in a bar but she was probably barely twenty-one.

He kept an eye on it while playing darts with Johnny. He kept getting angrier the more he saw the young girl looking upset. Then, when it was Johnny's turn, Finn looked over and saw one of the assholes grab the girls ass. That was it. He left his darts on a billiards table and ignored Johnny calling after him as he stomped across the room and grabbed the guy by the front of the shirt, pulling him to his feet.

"Hey! Who the fuck are you? Get your hands off me asshole!!!" The guy screamed in his face. That only made Finn grip on to him harder and slam his back up against the wall next to the table.

"Why don't you practice what you preach, _asshole_ , and keep _your_ hands off the waitress?" Finn said in a low voice, anger bubbling inside of him. He could hear the guys friends behind him, threatening him and he could hear Johnny and some other guys holding them back. Good. He needed to get his message across to this prick, "That girl over there is your server. You order drinks and food and she gets it for you when it's ready. She's not there for you to grope and yell obscenities at. So here's what's going to happen. You're going to apologize to her and you're going to mean it. Then you're going to leave at least a fifty dollar tip and then you're going to leave. Do we understand each other?"

The guy looked at him for a minute then laughed in his face, "Get off me you posh British asshole. I don't take orders from you. I'm having fun with my friends at a public bar. Fuck you!"

"Wrong answer," Finn muttered before he pulled the guy away from the wall and got behind him, pushing him out into the middle of the room and twisting his arm behind his back until he was screaming. Finn made eye contact with the frightened looking waitress and spoke to her in a calm voice, "Come here, love. It's okay. This jerk just wants to apologize to you."

The girl walked over slow and unsure, looking at Finn for reassurance. Once she stepped in front of them, Finn twisted the guys arm even harder behind his back until he dropped to his knees in pain and started wailing, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay??"

"Not good enough," Finn said, pressing his knee into the guys back.

"I'm sorry!!" The guy screamed in a high pitched voice, near tears now, "It won't happen again. I shouldn't have touched you. I was rude and a jerk. I'm sorry!"

When the girl nodded and stepped back, Finn dragged the guy up from the floor and walked him back over to the table. He told him to get his wallet and leave a tip, which the guy did with unsteady hands, then he and his friends, who had been subdued by other patrons, took off running for the door.

"Hey. Are you alright, love?" Finn immediately went back to the waitress and put an arm around her shoulders, leading her over to a quiet corner and completely ignoring the applause and cheering going on in the background. He grabbed an unopened bottle of water from a table and sat the girl down in a chair, giving her the bottle and watching her take a drink, "Better?"

"Yeah," The girl nodded, "I just feel a bit shaky I guess. They made me feel so uncomfortable. I've never been talked to like that before in my life."

"It was disgusting," Finn agreed, "What's your name, love?"

"Becca," The girl said with a small smile.

"Well Becca I'm Finn and it's a pleasure to meet you," Finn held out his hand for her to shake, "Is there anything I can get you? Walk you home maybe? Get you a taxi?"

"No. You've done enough already. My boyfriend always picks me up so that I get home safe. Thank you so much for what you did. I'll never forget it. You really saved me there," Becca said gratefully. She stood up and got on her tip toes to hug Finn and Finn hugged her back, smiling down at her when she pulled back, "I think I'm just going to go clock out early and wait for my boyfriend in the break room. It was nice to meet you Finn."

"It was nice to meet you, Becca. Take care," Finn said, then he watched her walk a few feet to a door marked for employees only and disappear behind it.

"Oh. My. God. Dude. That was sick!" Finn heard Johnny's voice behind him and turned around to see him and the rest of the guys, including Ozzy, looking at him with incredulous looks on their faces.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Malcolm asked, his eyes wide and an incredulous smile on his face, "Jesus. That fucker couldn't move. You had him in a solid grip man. Fuck."

"Yeah, that was awesome man," Ben slapped him on the back once and laughed, "I thought the guy was going to shit his pants! What you did for Becca was awesome, too. She's only worked here a few months right Chris?"

"Yeah she's a sweet girl. That was good of you, Finn. I'm actually going to go talk to one of the bouncers and have a look at the security tapes. Make sure those guys get banned from here for good. The owners won't stand for that behaviour," Chris said, "Oz, if I don't see you before you and Finn leave I'll text you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See ya man," Ozzy bro hugged Chris then turned around to Finn and wrapped his arms around him in a hug, his lips right by Finn's ear, "That was the hottest thing I've ever seen baby."

Finn wrapped his arms around Ozzy and lifted him off his feet a little bit, laughing into his neck, "Was it really? I wasn't even really thinking about what I was doing. That girl just reminded me of Nori and if anyone put their hands on my sister I'd rearrange their face."

"I know you would," Ozzy said as Finn put him back down on his feet, "I'd probably help you, though you wouldn't need it. Seriously, where did you learn how to do that? It was so sexy. The way your muscles bulged in that shirt and the way you easily handled that guy who wasn't exactly tiny. Fuck."

Finn blushed and ducked his head to kiss Ozzy's lips, slipping just a bit of tongue into the kiss to tease his boyfriend. He wasn't looking for or expecting this reaction but he had to admit it was making him feel good to get this kind of reaction from Ozzy, loved that he found Finn so hot.

When they broke the kiss, Finn leaned down and whispered in Ozzy's ear, "Want to get out of here so I can have my way with you like that? Hmm?"

Ozzy's body visibly trembled in his arms and he looked at him with so much lust and heat in his eyes that Finn thought he might catch on fire, "Fuck yes. _Please_!"

"Okay!" Drew spoke loudly, "I don't know what you two are whispering in each other's ears and by the way Ozzy looks like he wants to climb Finn like a tree - I don't want to know. Just get out of here you two, before I see something that traumatizes me for life."

Finn and Ozzy both burst out laughing and the other guys seconded what Drew said so they said their goodbyes and made their way to the back entrance where Ozzy had already arranged for a car to be waiting for them. There was indeed a crowd of Ozzy's fans outside but the bouncer helped them get inside the car and they got out of there quickly to start the twenty minute drive to Ozzy's place.

They didn't talk during the whole ride but they didn't need to. Finn said all he needed to say with his hand. Since Ozzy was sitting by the door and Finn was sitting in the middle next to him, he was able to slide his hand up and down Ozzy's thigh without the driver seeing a thing. He took full advantage of that by slowly dragging his hand over the tight jeans Ozzy was wearing, feeling his muscular thigh underneath. He squeezed gently with his fingers then lifted his hand back down to Ozzy's knee and started all over again, this time dragging his finger up the inseam of Ozzy's jeans all the way up to his crotch. By the time they were three minutes away from Ozzy's house, Finn was palming Ozzy's cock and Ozzy had his head thrown back against the headrest with his eyes closed.

Finally the car came to a stop and the driver wished them a good night. His fee was already paid through Ozzy's credit card but Finn left him a twenty dollar tip and wished him goodnight then grabbed his boyfriends hand and practically jogged up the steps to the front door.

"Fuck!" Ozzy whispered as he fumbled with his keys, "I can't - I can't find the right key."

Finn reached over and covered his hands with his and took the keys from him, "Shhh. I'll do it, Pet. Then I'll get you inside and take care of you, yeah?"

Ozzy made a whimpering noise that went straight to Finn's dick making Finn rush to get the door open and get them inside. Once they were inside, Finn locked the door behind him and dropped the keys on the floor so he could pull Ozzy up against him and completely ravish his mouth with his own.

They kissed each other frantically, teeth biting lips and tongues sliding together in an erotic dance. Their hands were everywhere - in each other's hair, down over each other's backs, gripping at each other's hips, all while moving around bumping into things.

"Finn," Ozzy gasped his name against his lips, his hands fumbling with the button and zipper on Finn's jeans, "Fuck, baby, you were so hot. I want you so bad."

Finn groaned when Ozzy's fingers brushed against his dick. He sunk his teeth into Ozzy's shoulder making his boyfriend cry out, then he moved them back until Ozzy's back hit the wall hard enough to rattle the painting hanging on it, "Yeah? You liked how I dealt with that jerk? You liked watching me get rough? Is that what you want, Pet? You want me to get rough?"

Ozzy moaned and bucked his hips in response, trying to rub against Finn but Finn had him boxed in too tightly. He bit his lip and closed his eyes, another moan escaping him when Finn rolled his hips against his, their hards cocks rubbing together through their jeans. "Finn...I need you so bad, baby. Need you to fuck me."

Finn felt arousal building up in his stomach, his dick pulsing painfully against the fly of his jeans. He loved when Ozzy got like this, loved when he wanted Finn to be in control and be rough. It was something they experimented with a bit when Ozzy discovered he liked it and at first Finn thought he would be afraid he'd hurt Ozzy but they found a good balance that worked for both of them and it always led to hot sex.

"Wait right here. Don't move," Finn whispered, then he kissed Ozzy hard and took off upstairs to grab the lube from Ozzy's drawer. When he ran back downstairs, Ozzy was exactly how he left him and somehow that turned Finn on even more. "Look at you, absolutely gorgeous for me."

Ozzy looked at him, his green eyes dark and on fire as they wandered over Finn's body hungrily. Finn decided to give him something to look at and quickly lifted his shirt off over his head and purposely flexing his muscles. The hitch in Ozzy's breath was all he needed to hear before he walked back over to his boyfriend and slowly linked their fingers together before lifting his arms and pinning Ozzy's to the wall over his head. He went in for a kiss, kissing his boyfriend deeply and until they were both out of breath, then he moved down to his neck and shoulder, kissing and biting then laving his tongue over any marks he left. Ozzy was a moaning, panting mess by the time Finn was done. He was quite the sight and Finn only wanted to ruin him more.

Stepping back and dropping Ozzy's hands, he quickly helped his boyfriend out of his shirt, jeans and boxers then turned him around to face the wall. Ozzy immediately braced himself with both hands flat against the wall and stuck his bum out just waiting for Finn to take him.

" _Fuck_ ," Finn cursed as he looked at his boyfriend. He had no idea what it did to Finn to see him there just waiting for Finn to fuck him. He looked obscene. The muscles in his back straining and his perfect, muscular ass just sticking out waiting to be fucked, "You're incredible, Pet. So sexy. Can't wait to be inside you."

Finn wasn't kidding either. His dick was throbbing and he needed to come sooner rather than later so he got the rest of his clothes off and got to opening his boyfriend up, getting on his knees to do it so he could bury his face in Ozzy's ass and kiss and bite it, making Ozzy cry out and moan so loudly Finn was glad Ozzy didn't live in an apartment building.

Awhile later when Ozzy was opened up and begging Finn to fuck him, Finn stood up and grabbed Ozzy's hips, lining himself up so he could sink into his boyfriend. Once he was all the way inside and they were both moaning loudly, Finn pulled almost all the way out and slammed back in, making Ozzy yell out and arch his back, "Oh fuck! Fuck! Yeah, baby, just like that. Fuck me hard."

Finn groaned and gripped onto Ozzy's hips tighter, tight enough to leave bruises, and started to fuck his boyfriend, slamming in and out of him at a steady pace. He buried his face in Ozzy's neck, kissing him whenever he could between his heavy breathing. Ozzy was breathing heavily too but he was also moaning and yelling loudly, turning Finn on even more than he already was. He loved when Ozzy got loud. It was something he didn't get to experience too often since they had to be quiet when Jacob was around.

"Oh God," Ozzy moaned in a broken voice, "Please, baby. I'm so close. Fuck me harder."

Finn moaned loudly into Ozzy's neck and started to move his hips even faster, taking one hand off Ozzy's hip so he could reach around and tug at his boyfriend's cock. Once he got a hand on him and started tugging him off, it didn't take long for Ozzy to call out Finn's name and paint the wall with his come. Finn followed soon after, filling Ozzy up with his come then collapsing against him, squatting Ozzy against the wall.

"That was fucking brilliant!" Ozzy mumbled into the wall, his voice muffled a bit.

Finn braced himself with his hands on the wall on either side of Ozzy so that he wasn't crushing his boyfriend and chuckled at his words. He kissed along his shoulder up to his neck until he reached his ear and whispered, "You're fucking brilliant. Gorgeous and incredible too. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Ozzy murmured, then they fell silent for a minute until Ozzy started giggling, "I'm pressed against the wall that's covered in my own come."

Finn snorted against Ozzy's neck which only made Ozzy start to laugh harder. That of course got Finn laughing harder and soon the two of them were hysterically laughing while naked and pressed up against the wall in Ozzy's foyer.

"Oh my God," Finn wheezed out, his whole body shaking with laughter, "Please tell me you don't have any security cameras in here?"

"No," Ozzy said threw his laughter, shaking his head back and forth, "Only outside. We haven't made a sex tape...at least not yet."

"Don't even think about it!" Finn laughed, stepping back and helping his boyfriend step away from the wall, "Let's go upstairs and clean up before we come back down here to clean up, yeah?"

Ozzy agreed and they both went upstairs for a quick shower together. When they were done they went back downstairs and while they were laughing again as they cleaned the wall and floor, Finn was thinking that he just had one of the best nights of his life.

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Here's the next chapter finally. I've been quite sick for a bit so I wasn't able to write much. Thank you to everyone for your support and kind words about this series. It was really nice to hear since I convinced myself it had gotten boring and nobody wanted to read it anymore. 
> 
> For those of you who have twitter I decided to join so I could update you all on my writing. You can add me if you want @niallison23 you can also just reach out to me to chat if you want.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think :)

 

 

  
The last couple of weeks of August were quiet for Ozzy and Finn, despite the fact that Ozzy's first single from his new album had dropped and debuted at number one in several countries. It was pretty crazy on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and every other social media outlet you could think of. His fans were being very loud and proud with their love for him and the new song and while Ozzy did see some of it he remained pretty quiet except for one tweet thanking everybody for their love and support and promising to see them soon. He wanted to spend some last weeks of quiet time with Finn and Jacob before his little boy started school and then he had to go out and promote the single and album.

So they laid low, hanging out at Ozzy's place or at Finn's or Rory's with Finn's family. They went out a couple of times to go shopping for school supplies for Jacob and they managed to stay under the radar for the most part which is exactly what Ozzy wanted. Finn went back and forth to PT and Ozzy's house or his own house, wanting to make sure he spent time with his siblings and his parents as well. Ozzy was perfectly okay with that. Being in love and constantly wanting to be together didn't mean they should ignore their friends and family. More often than not, though, Ozzy was with Finn at his house or he'd take Jacob to Rory's to play with Danny while Finn wasn't around. He was forming a great friendship with Rory and Anna and of course Harry already treated him like a son. He was feeling more and more like a real part of the Horan family everyday.

One night he really loved was when Nori came home from Africa. It was a couple of days after he and Finn got back from New York and they were all at Finn's house to welcome her home. Ozzy was a bit intimidated at first. He didn't know _what_ to do when this royal Princess walked into the house behind Nori, hugging people and kissing their cheeks like it was something she always did. Nobody bowed or curtsied to her and even though Ozzy knew Harry and Niall were friends of her parents it was still strange for him to see them all together. He got over it quickly, though, when he heard her chatting to Niall and cursing and swearing like a sailor. He came to realize she really was just a regular person who was very sweet yet very cheeky at the same time.

That night all the kids played together while the adults sat in the living room with drinks and listened to some of the stories Nori and Charlotte told about their time in Africa. Ozzy still gets goosebumps on his skin when he thinks about it. The two women had them laughing at times with some of the stories they told about some of the very colourful people they met, then they had everyone crying when they explained what some of the people were going through over there. Ozzy hadn't been ashamed when he silently cried into Finn's shoulder when Nori explained how some of the children died right in front of her simply because they didn't have something as simple as antibiotics. Hearing that made him want to throw up and when he looked around he saw that Harry was crying too and Niall and Rory were struggling really hard not to.

At the end of the night when Harry and Niall were putting their kids to bed and Finn was carrying a sleeping Jacob out to his car, Ozzy pulled Charlotte aside and asked where he had to donate to make sure kids in these poor, war ravaged regions got the medicine they needed. She told him of the charity she was patron of and got his e-mail so she could send him information on it. A few days later he contacted her through the number she gave him and told her he had his business manager make up a cheque. She personally came over to get it and she left with tears in her eyes and two cheques for a hundred thousand pounds. One from Ozzy and one from Finn.

Afterward Ozzy had a bit of a breakdown and Finn took him to bed and held him until he calmed down. He kept thinking of Jacob dying from lack of medicine or lack of food. He kept picturing him as nothing but skin and bones because he has nothing to eat. It wasn't right for children to go through that and it broke his heart. Thank God for his boyfriend who was strong for him when he needed him to be and kept softly telling him over and over again that that would never be Jacob because Jacob had an army of people, including Finn's own friends and family, who would do anything to keep him safe and happy if anything should happen to him.

It was definitely a wake up call for Ozzy, hearing about Africa. He liked to think he didn't take things for granted before but he was definitely paying more attention now. That's why he was now sitting in his living room with Finn and Jacob on the night before school started, watching a film and simply enjoying his time with the people he loved.

When the film was over, Ozzy looked over at Jacob and his heart melted when he saw his son tucked into Finn's side, his cheek pressed against Finn's stomach and one of his little hands was loosely gripping Finn's shirt. Ozzy really, really didn't want to interrupt them but it was getting late for Jacob and he needed a bath before bedtime, "Hey little bear. You look really comfortable there but it's time for you to have your bath now."

Jacob turned his face into Finn's shirt even more than it already was, making both Finn and Ozzy laugh, "Can Finny give me a bath tonight, Papa? I want him to play with my toys with me."

Ozzy smiled and made eye contact with Finn, the fondness he saw in his boyfriends eyes nearly taking his breath away. He didn't know if his heart was going to survive watching Finn with his son. The way Finn looked at Jacob, the way he treated him - it was incredible. It was like Jacob was his own flesh and blood.   
"That's okay with me. You'll have to ask Finny though."

Jacob lifted his head to look up at Finn and if at all possible the look in Finn's eyes became even softer, "You want to, Finny?"

Finn cooed at Jacob and lifted him up onto his lap, hugging his little body against his chest, "I would love to, baby. I'm very honoured that you asked me. Want a piggy back?"

"Yeah!!" Jacob cheered, scrambling off Finn's lap and standing on the couch.

Finn laughed and moved forward to the edge of the couch and instructed Jacob to wrap his arms around his neck. Once he did, Finn stood up and Ozzy stood up with them, smiling and taking a picture with his phone. Finn laughed and leaned in for a quick kiss then said to Jacob, "Got a kiss for Papa?"

Jacob giggled and kissed Ozzy's cheek then his two favourite boys headed upstairs so Jacob could have his bath. Ozzy fondly watched them go then pulled out his iPad to get into his e-mail to go over his schedule for the next little while. So far he'd only done two interviews to promote his new single. He gave his home town the exclusive and did an interview with a New York City radio station over the phone to premiere the single, then the next day he went to BBC radio one to do an interview with the Breakfast Show. Now, though, he'd be going out to perform the song once Jacob started school and was settled.

He had a few appearances to do over in America. The late night shows, Good Morning America and his favourite Saturday Night Live. He hadn't been on that show before. He was so nervous about it. He had to remember to ask Finn if he could get away for that weekend to be there with him.

After that he had a couple of appearances in Canada before coming back to London to do a couple of the late night shows here. Then there was a little break before he went out to promote the album in November, going over to Asia and Australia this time, as well as America and some European countries as well. He'd be performing more than just the first single on that promo tour.

Closing his e-mail he went into his texts and asked his sister if she was available to Skype. She replied that she was so he immediately called her and smiled when she answered, happy to see her face. "Hey, Sis. How's it going?"

"Oh it's going," Rachel said with a laugh, adjusting her laptop screen so he could see her better, "How are you? Is my nephew all ready for his big day tomorrow?"

"Oh God," Ozzy groaned and covered his face, "He's so excited but I swear my heart is breaking. I swear it feels like just yesterday he fit in the palm of my hand. Now he's going off on his own and leaving me."

Rachel threw her head back, cackling with laughter, "Was I this bad when mine first started school? He's not going off on his own, Oz. Just to school for a few hours a day. He still needs you."

"Yes you were this bad!" Ozzy glared at her, "I just want him to stay home with me and go on tour with me like last time. I'm going to miss him so much. I don't know how I'm going to do it, Rach. Thinking about it gives me anxiety."

"Hey," Rachel's expression turned serious and her voice soothing, "He's going to be fine, Oz. I know how adamant you've always been about Jacob going to a normal school so he could make friends instead of being schooled on the road. It's what you want for him and I happen to agree it's the right thing. He'll get to be with friends everyday, expanding his mind and learning so many new things. Also he's in wonderful hands. Kara loves and adores him. She will make sure he's well taken care of."

"I know, I know," Ozzy said in a whiny voice, "This is all about me. I know I'm doing the right thing for him. I'll just miss him so much and I'm being a baby about it."

Rachel laughed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, "Well if you're going to be a baby you might as well do it in front of someone who knew you as a baby. Where is Jacob by the way? It's not late enough there for bed is it?"

"Almost. He'll be in bed by nine. Right now he's upstairs with Finn having a bath. He wanted Finn to go play with his toys with him," Ozzy explained.

"Ah," Rachel nodded, a knowing smile on her face, "Your whole face completely changed when you spoke about Finn. Still madly in love obviously."

"Yeah," Ozzy couldn't help the small smile that took over his face when talking about Finn, "Very much so. I'm actually - I want to ask you something. I need you to be really honest."

Rachel snorted and gave Ozzy her lifted eyebrow look, "I'm honest to a fault little brother. You know this. Now hit me with your question."

"Okay," Ozzy cleared his throat nervously, "Do you think it would be creepy and too soon to ask Finn if he'd stay here at my place sometimes while I'm away? To be here for Jacob? Is that stupid? Am I letting them fall in love with each other too soon? And then everything goes to shit and we all get our hearts broken?"

"Okay. Take a breath, Oz," Rachel chuckled at him, "You know I can't give you a definitive answer to that. It's different for everyone. It's what feels right to you and Finn. Some people are together for years before they move in together or get engaged. Other people know right away. I mean, I got engaged on my one year anniversary and we're still together now, happily married with no regrets. When you look deep down into your heart, what do you feel? Do you think it's too soon?"

"No," Ozzy shook his head emphatically, not even having to think about it, "Finn is the love of my life. I can just _feel_ it. When I think about my future he's right next to me. When I think about raising Jacob it's him I want as my co-parent. When I think about being at the hospital and welcoming another child into the world, a tiny infant only a few minutes old - it's Finn that I want right there with me. I want him to be my partner in everything for the rest of my life."

When Ozzy stopped talking he realized his cheeks were wet and lifted his fingers to find tears dripping down. It caught him by surprise and when he looked back at the screen of his iPad he saw his sister crying as well.

"For fucks sake, Ozzy!" Rachel wiped at her cheeks and started laughing, "Making me fucking cry in the middle of the afternoon. I might as well be watching a fucking soap opera."

Ozzy laughed loudly and wiped at his own cheeks, "Sorry. I was just - I was speaking from my heart and I didn't even realize I had gotten emotional."

Rachel giggled and reached for a box of tissues that must have been on her coffee table. She blew her nose then looked at Ozzy fondly, "Despite the fact you made me cry I'm happy to hear you talking about somebody the way you talk about Finn. It really didn't take long for me to tell he's a good man. An amazing man and human being. He's so good to you and Jacob. That's all I can ask for."

"I know. I'm incredibly lucky. I just don't want to scare him away by moving too fast. He's still only nineteen. What if it's too soon for him? What if he doesn't feel the same way as me? I mean, I know he loves me but maybe I'm not who he sees spending the rest of his life with. Not yet at least." Ozzy said uncertainly.

Rachel let out an incredulous laugh that nearly sent her laptop right off her lap onto the floor. Once she straightened it up again she looked at Ozzy like he was stupid, "Are you serious? I watched you two when you were here in New York. I watched you before that when he'd join you on Skype. I can tell you without an ounce of doubt that he feels the same way for you and not only you but Jacob as well. That little boy might as well be his own. No, Ozzy, Finnegan Horan won't be scared away by anything you have to say. It's pretty safe to say he's with you until the end or until you don't want him anymore and we both know that'll never happen."

Ozzy nodded and took in a breath, letting it out slowly, "I was watching him with Jacob tonight. The way he looks at him with such fondness and love in his eyes, the way he takes care of him like it's second nature to him. It just blows my mind and chokes me up all at the same time. Like, I was wondering earlier how much more my heart could take of their cuteness."

"Well get used to it. I think that cuteness is here to stay," Rachel said, a soft smile on her face.

"Speaking of the cuteness, I'm going to go make sure everything is going okay upstairs. They should be done soon then it'll be time for my little bear to get in bed. Thanks for the talk as always," Ozzy said.

"Anytime, Oz. Take pictures and video tomorrow. I want to see it all and give Jacob a big kiss from me. Oh and tell Finn I said hello," Rachel rushed out.

"I will," Ozzy laughed, "I'll call you tomorrow night with Jacob. I love you."

"Love you little brother," Rachel said, blowing him a kiss.

They hung up and Ozzy put his IPad down on the table then got up to head upstairs. When he reached the top he could hear Finn and Jacob talking in the hallway bathroom and tiptoed over to take a peek. Jacob was finished in the tub and Finn had him wrapped in a big fluffy towel and sitting on the countertop next to the sink. They both had wet hair and they both had it sticking up on their heads like a Mohawk.

"Finny," Jacob was giggling so hard he could barely breathe let alone talk.

"What?" Finn looked at him with a straight face, as if there was nothing funny at all.

"Your hair!" Jacob practically wailed as he giggled even harder. At one point he was laughing so hard it was silent and if Ozzy hadn't seen him like this before he'd think the boy had stopped breathing.

"My hair? What about _your_ hair?" Finn lifted Jacob up onto his feet and turned him around so he could see himself in the mirror. When the little boy saw himself with the same hair style he squealed with laughter and his little body fell back against Finn's chest, his head falling back onto Finn's shoulder as he giggled helplessly. Finn wasn't holding back anymore at this point either and he began to laugh as he scooped Jacob up off the counter and hugged him tight, "You're such a silly little bear aren't you? Silly, silly, silly."

"You're silly!" Jacob wrapped his arms around Finn's neck and the two of them stared into each other's eyes while giggling.

"You're both silly I think," Ozzy entered the room while laughing himself.

"Hi, Papa!" Jacob said happily, still giggling a little.

"Hi, little bear. Are you all clean?" Ozzy asked, putting one hand on the little boys back and leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"Yup! All clean for school!" Jacob said proudly, "Finny let me wash his hair too."

"I can see that," Ozzy laughed and looked at Finn, his heart skipping a beat when his boyfriend winked at him. "Are you all dry under that towel? Ready for your pajamas?"

"Yes. Can I wear my dino pajamas, Papa?" Jacob asked as the three of them went to Jacob's bedroom.

"You have a few pairs of dinosaur pajamas, Jakey. Which ones do you want?" Ozzy asked his little boy.

Jacob pursed his lips and looked like he was thinking pretty hard for a minute, then his face lit up and he squirmed around wanting to get down from Finn's arms. When Finn put him down, the towel immediately fell to the floor and Jacob walked over to his dresser completely naked, "We need to get all of them out, Papa. I want them all on the bed and then Finny can pick his favourite. Okay Finny? You pick your favourite and I'll wear that one."

Ozzy laughed and shared a fond look with Finn as he walked over to the dresser where his son already had the drawer with his pajamas in it opened and was tossing pieces of clothing everywhere in search of all the dinosaur ones. Ozzy stopped him with a gentle hand on his back and grabbed him a pair of underwear from another drawer to put on while Ozzy went through the pajamas. It took him a few minutes to sift through the mess on the floor but he found the five pairs of dinosaur pajamas Jacob owned and the little boy helped him lay them out on the bed for Finn.

"You pick your favourite, Finny!" Jacob said, hopping up and down in just his underwear he was so excited.

Finn walked over to the bed and studied the pajamas, clearly taking this seriously for Jacob's sake, "Hmmm. These are all really cool pajamas, Jakey. Blue is my favourite colour, though, so I'm going to choose the ones with the blue Dino on them."

Jacob seemed quite happy with the choice and grabbed the pajamas off the bed, bringing them to Finn. Finn helped the little boy get into them while Ozzy watched on with the biggest, stupidest grin on his face. He couldn't help it. He just loved watching his two favourite people in the world interacting this way. They clearly loved each other and that was huge because Ozzy knew a lot of single parents had trouble with dating. Had trouble with their child hating their significant other. Thankfully Ozzy didn't have that problem.

"Alright. Let's go back to the bathroom so I can dry your hair before bed," Ozzy said once Jacob was dressed.

"I'll leave you to it," Finn said, "I got a missed call from my Pop. I'll clean up in here for you then go downstairs and call him back."

"You don't have to clean up, baby. I can take care of it," Ozzy reached out slipped his hand into Finn's, lacing their fingers together and squeezing gently.

Finn squeezed back and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth, "I want to do it. It'll just take a minute. I'll meet you downstairs when you're done."

"Okay," Ozzy nodded, knowing there was no point arguing. His boyfriend was like Harry, neat, tidy and liked cleaning, "Say goodnight to Finny, Jacob."

Jacob lifted his arms up and Finn immediately picked him up, resting him on his hip and kissing his nose, "Goodnight baby boy. Have sweet dreams, okay?"

Jacob kissed Finn on the cheek and wrapped his little arms around his neck in a tight hug, "Goodnight Finny. See you tomorrow."

Finn gave Jacob one last kiss then handed him over to Ozzy so he could go dry his hair. Once in the bathroom, Ozzy ran a towel over Jacob's head to get rid of the Mohawk then got out the hair dryer to quickly dry his sons hair.

"Did you have fun playing with your toys with Finny?" Ozzy asked Jacob when he was done drying his hair. He noticed the toys were all rinsed off and put back in the basket Ozzy had for them next to the tub. Jacob shared the bathroom with Kara so Ozzy liked to keep everything neat in there for her. He smiled because of course Finn cleaned everything up and left the room immaculate even after a four year old had taken a bath.

"Yes!" Jacob said excitedly, "We have so much fun, Papa! Finny is good at playing. He has baby brothers so he has to be good. He play with them too."

"Yes he does," Ozzy chuckled and lifted Jacob down off the counter. He put the hair dryer away and turned off the light then they walked back to Jacob's bedroom so Ozzy could put him to bed, "You really like playing with Finny don't you?"

"Yes. I love Finny, Papa. He's the best. I want him to be here forever," Jacob said as he climbed into his bed and Ozzy pulled the blankets up over him.

"You know what little bear?" Ozzy sat down on the bed next to his son with his back against the headboard and his hand in his sons hair, "I want him to be here forever too. I promise I'm going to do my best to make that happen for us."

Jacob cuddled into him and looked up with the sweetest smile on his face, "You don't have to do anything, Papa. Finny loves us."

Ozzy shouldn't be taken aback by that comment because he's well aware of how smart and perceptive his child is, yet that one simple statement was enough to bring tears to Ozzy's eyes and choke him up a bit. His child knew that he was loved. He knew Finn loved him just like Ozzy did and that meant everything.

"You know what, Jakey? He really does love us and we're so incredibly lucky," Ozzy said once he regained control and cleared his throat, "Now - are you ready for a story?"

"Story and a song!" Jacob smiled sweetly at him again and how could Ozzy say no to that smile?

For the next twenty minutes, Ozzy cuddled with his son and read him his favourite story then sang to him quietly as he dozed off to sleep. When he was done he carefully got up from the bed so he didn't disturb Jacob, then he turned out the lights and closed the door halfway before heading downstairs to find his boyfriend.

"Hey," Ozzy said softly when he entered the living room to find Finn sitting on the couch scrolling through his phone.

Finn looked up and smiled, immediately discarding his phone on the table, "Hi, Pet. Jacob asleep?"

"He is," Ozzy smiled and gently pressed his hands against Finn's chest to push him back so his back was against the couch cushions, then he straddled his boyfriends lap, resting his bum on Finn's thighs and loosely winding his arms around his neck, "I love when you do that."

Finn's arms automatically wrapped around Ozzy, his hands slipping up the back of Ozzy's shirt and caressing his skin, "Do what, love?"

"You smile when I walk into a room and immediately put your phone away so that I have all your attention, as if I'm the most important person in the world in that moment," Ozzy said, his fingers playing with the hair at the nape of Finn's neck.

"That's because you are the most important person in the world, pet. At least to me. You always deserve my full attention and I'll always try my best to give it to you," Finn answered. "You and Jacob. Can't have one without the other. Just the way I like it."

Ozzy felt himself getting choked up again and bit his lip to try and control himself, "I love you. Can you just hug me for a bit?"

Finn looked at him worriedly but wrapped his arms around him and carefully tipped them over onto the couch so that they were laying on their sides facing each other but with Ozzy wrapped up in Finn's arms, "What's wrong, love? Are you okay?"  
  
Ozzy hid his face in Finn's neck, the scent of his cologne and body wash feeling like home. When he spoke his voice was soft and a bit muffled, "I'm okay. I think I'm just a bit overwhelmed today."

Finn rubbed Ozzy's back and kissed the top of his head, "Because Jacob starts school tomorrow? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Mostly because my little baby is starting school but I'm also overwhelmed in a good way. I was watching you with my son and seeing how much you adore him and he adores you. Then you look at me like I'm the best thing in the world when I walked in the room. Then you say things like me and Jacob _are_ the most important people in the world to you and I..."Ozzy paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, "I feel so full of love inside and I just don't have the words to describe exactly how you make me feel. I love you so much, Finnegan. Those words don't even seem like enough but they're what I've got. I love you."

Finn held him tighter and chuckled right near his ear giving him goosebumps all down his body. His boyfriend had the greatest laugh, "I think that's the first time you've ever called me Finnegan."

Ozzy picked his head up so he could look at Finn, "Is it?"

Finn laughed and kissed him quickly on the lips, "I don't know. Maybe you've called me that before and I just don't remember. I quite like the way it sounds coming from you."

Ozzy smiled and snuggled back in against Finn's chest again, "I'll be sure to call out your full name next time you're fucking me then."

"Oh God," Finn groaned, making Ozzy laugh loudly against his chest, "Don't get me worked up when we're having a serious discussion."

Ozzy laughed some more and placed kissed on Finn's chest through his t-shirt, "Sorry baby. Go on."

"I know exactly how you feel, Oz. That feeling of wanting to just burst because you're so in love and you feel like saying I love you isn't enough. I feel the same way about you. I just hope and pray that those feelings I can't find words for come through when I kiss you or when I touch you or when I smile at you," Finn said quietly, "You and Jacob mean everything to me."

"I know," Ozzy lifted his head again so he could look into Finn's eyes, "I know we do. Thank you for loving him the way you do. My little boy deserves to be loved like that."

"He absolutely does. He's the sweetest little boy, Ozzy. I pretty much fell in love with him the first time I met him. Not only is he a part of you but he's his own person as well. He's so kind and generous, he's fun, he's happy, he's full of life. He's so, so precious. He deserves the world and I'm going to do my best to help you give it to him," Finn said, his words sounding like a promise.

Ozzy shook his head and leaned in for a kiss. When he pulled back he looked deep into Finn's eyes, "I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"You're just you," Finn said, simple as that.

Ozzy snuggled in again and the couple stayed quiet for awhile just holding each other. At around ten-thirty, Ozzy managed to mumble, "Are you staying tonight?"

Finn rubbed his back and yawned loudly, "If you want me to. I wasn't sure if you wanted it to be just father and son for the first day of school tomorrow."

Ozzy sat up so quickly he nearly knocked Finn's chin with his head, "I want you to come with us. I need you there. I'll be a mess once I leave him there. Please Finn!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Finn sat up as well and cupped Ozzy's cheek with his hand, "I'll be there. I'd be honoured. You'll be okay, Pet, I promise."

"Thank you," Ozzy wrapped his arms around Finn and let his body be swallowed by Finn's strong, loving arms, "I'm so proud that he's starting school and he'll be five next week but at the same time I'm terrified because he's going out into the world and what if the kids are mean to him? What if they don't like him because he talks different? What if he comes home crying?"

"Don't do that, Oz," Finn mumbled against his neck, pausing a moment to kiss him there, "Do work yourself up like that. None of that will happen. If anything the kids will find the fact he speaks differently fascinating and as for not liking him? That's impossible. He's the sweetest, funniest little boy. He'll be friends with everyone in his class by the end of the day. I promise you, love, he's going to be just fine."

"Okay. I know you're right. I know," Ozzy mumbled against Finn's shirt.

"Why don't we go upstairs and have a bath of our own? You've got that nice big tub in the master bath. I'll rub your shoulders and help you relax a bit," Finn suggested.

Ozzy pulled back from the hug and gave Finn a tired smile, "That sounds perfect, baby. Thank you."

"Alright. Let's go," Finn stood up and took Ozzy's hand, not letting go until they had to undress to get in the tub.

 

~~~

 

The night before back to school in the Horan household was always hectic with last minutes things going on but this year it was absolutely insane in the house and Niall was contemplating shoving on some headphones and hiding under his desk in his office.

"Harry," Niall sighed as he walked into the kitchen, "Why won't our kids stop screaming at each other? Why can't they walk downstairs or upstairs or wherever to talk to each other in indoor voices?"

Harry laughed and stopped making the twins lunches for the next day so he could give Niall a quick kiss, "It's because they're Horan's. Horan's are loud."

"Oh yeah? Well I'm the original Horan in this household and they're about to find out how loud I can be if they don't shut up." Niall scoffed, "Nori and Kate's bedrooms are right across from each other yet I can hear them all the way down here yelling back and forth about outfits for school tomorrow."

"Isn't it adorable that Nori is asking her little sister for fashion advice? They're so cute!" Harry gushed, "Kate is already a natural at this fashion business. I'm so proud of her."

Niall glared at Harry and walked around him to get a bottle of water from the fridge, "My own husband is against me."

"Oh come on, Niall," Harry chastised him gently, "Why are you being so grumpy? You're usually just as loud as them. Normally you'd be in the playroom shouting along with the twins playing whatever game they're playing."

"I have a headache. The screaming feels like it's actually coming from inside my head. Like our children are in my head pounding on my brain to get out," Niall moaned as he sat down at the table and put his head in his hands.

"Again?" Harry finished what he was doing and put the twins lunch boxes in the fridge then came over and put his hands on Niall's head, massaging gently, "Baby, you've had bad headaches almost every day for the past two weeks. Are you sure you're not getting sick with the flu or something?"

Niall took his hands away from his face and sat back, leaning into Harry's touch, "Can you rub harder? Near my temples? Yeah, like that. That feels good, darlin'. I don't think I'm getting sick. I feel perfectly fine otherwise."

"Well something's going on," Harry said worriedly, "You've been two weeks like this. That's never happened in the twenty-six years since I've known you. You should see a Doctor, Ni."

"And tell him what?" Niall cringed as his slightly raised voice hurt his head, "That I've got a headache? He'll tell me to take two paracetamol and thank me not to waste his time again."

Harry's hands dropped from Niall's head and Niall let out a tiny whining noise, "He wouldn't say that and it's not a waste of time. You've had bad headaches for two weeks now. Something might be wrong, Niall."

"Don't be so ridiculous, Harry!" Niall scoffed, "It's a headache. It's probably just from being back at work. After four months away I have to get used to the fast pace and time crunches again. It's not worth going to the doctor over."

Harry didn't say anything, just stared at him for so long with that intense, smouldering look Niall knew all too well. Harry was pissed off. Really pissed off.

With a simple shake of his head Harry left the room, leaving Niall sitting there with his mouth slightly opened and not knowing what to do. Well he actually knew one thing he could do - leave Harry alone for a bit. He knew his husband and he knew trying to talk to him now would be a big mistake so he decided to just go out for a bit. Maybe a walk would help his head feel better.

He went upstairs to get his phone and wallet, said goodbye to the girls, then told Harry he was going out. He didn't get a reply, just a stony look so he sighed and went on his way, texting Rory to see if he was home. He might as well go visit his son and grandchildren. It was only half an hour walk.

When he arrived, he let himself in through the kitchen door and smiled when he saw Anna there making lunches for her own kids for school tomorrow. He hugged her and chatted with her for a few minutes then went through to the living room where Rory was with the kids.

"Grampy!!!" Penny shrieked when she saw him, running over and nearly knocking him over when she barrelled into him, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to visit you lot of course!" Niall said happily, picking Penny up off the floor and into his arms.

"Where's grandpa?" Maddie asked, coming over to hug Niall's legs.

"He's at home, baby," Niall carefully made his way to the couch and sat down, quickly ending up with a lap full of three children, "He's taking care of the twins. I decided to go for a nice walk and come visit you. Grandpa will see you tomorrow at school."

The kids were satisfied with that and Niall got to spend the next hour with his grandkids and Rory and Anna until Anna whisked them upstairs to start getting ready for bed. Niall was about to get up and leave so Rory could go help her but Rory stopped him with a stern voice, "Not so fast, Dad."

"Hmm?" Niall stopped on his way out of the living room and turned back to look at his son with a raised eyebrow.

"You look like shit," Rory said, eyeing him up and down.

"That's some way to talk to your father," Niall scoffed, his hands coming up to rest on his hips.

Rory shrugged, "Just telling it like it is. You can handle it. Now _why_ do you look like shit?"

Niall sighed and walked back over to the couch to dramatically fall back onto it next to Rory, limbs flailing everywhere, "Haven't been sleeping that great for the past two weeks is part of it. The other part is I have a bad headache, the kids were screaming and your Pop is pissed at me."

Rory snorted, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Niall glared at Rory, "He kept saying to go see the doctor about my headaches and I told him it was just a headache, no need to waste a doctors time. If I'd been having headaches for six months then yeah, I'd see a doctor. Two weeks? I don't see the need."

Rory stared at him for a long minute, looking at him like he was stupid, "You must have something wrong with your head. Did you really say that to Pop?"

"Yes!" Niall threw his hands up in exasperation. He was really getting tired of this now. It's a fucking headache! Why was it such a big deal to his husband and son? "Do you go to the doctor every time you have a headache, Rory? Of course not! Why should I be any different?"

"Oh I don't know? Maybe because you said they're really bad headaches and they've been going on for two weeks? Maybe because you more than anyone knows how important your health is to Pop? You both lost partners in car accidents! That's why when you're traveling separately you're always calling and texting to keep each other's minds at ease. Why is this any different? He's probably worried something serious might be wrong and you know and I know there probably isn't but would it hurt to just humour him and go see the doctor? You'll get a clean bill of health and that will be that! Instead you tell him it's a waste of time. Jesus Christ, Dad! Were you thinking at all???"

Niall was an asshole. A prick. A stupid human being who didn't deserve his beautiful husband. How could he be so selfish and stupid? "Oh God," He fell back against the couch and groaned, "I'm an idiot."

"Yep," Rory readily agreed, "You also left to come here while he's at home with screaming children. I'm sure that made it better."

"Jesus Christ. You're right. What the fuck is wrong with me today? Why didn't I think?" Niall mattered to himself more than to Rory, "Can I borrow one of your cars? I need to get home."

"Yeah. Take the Audi." Rory stood up and headed for the garage door off the kitchen with Niall right behind him, "Here's the keys. Bring it back whenever."

"Thank you, Rory," Niall said sincerely, reaching out to hug his son, "I love you. Go be with your wife and kids. I'm sorry to keep you from them."

"Dad. You didn't. We're all happy to have you here at anytime. We love you. I love you. Now go fix things with Pop," Rory said kindly.

Niall nodded and exited through the garage door, getting into Rory's silver Audi for the drive home. It wasn't a long drive but long enough for Niall to go over in his head how stupid he'd been. All he cared about was the pain in his head going away and the kids being quiet. All he cared about was himself and his complaining. If he had been thinking of anything but himself he would have done exactly what Rory said and told Harry he'd go see a doctor if that's what he needed to feel at ease.

After pulling into their driveway a short while later, Niall jogged up the steps and inside, nearly running into Kate in the hallway, "Hi, Sunshine. Do you know where your Pop is?"

Kate frowned and looked up at him with a sad look in her eyes, "I was just going to call you. I went upstairs to ask him something and heard him sniffling in your bedroom. I think he was crying, Dad. Is something wrong? I don't like it when Papa cries."

Niall's heart broke as he pulled Kate into a hug and kissed the top of her head. Not only did he upset Harry enough to make him cry, he's upset his little girl so much she referred to Harry as 'papa' instead of Pop. She never did that unless she was upset. "Everything will be fine, Sunshine. This is all my fault. Your Pop asked me to do something and I was being stubborn about it. He's probably frustrated with me. I'm going to go up and talk to him right now. I'll fix it. Will you help your sister look after the little ones for a few minutes?"

"Okay," Kate pulled back from their hug, this time with a stern look on her face, "You better fix it. Or else you'll deal with me."

"That's a truly terrifying thought. I'll be sure to fix it," Niall said, struggling to keep a straight face. Their daughter was just too cute.

After fully releasing Kate, Niall headed upstairs and gently knocked on the bedroom door before going in and closing the door behind him. Harry was standing with his back to him, a basket of clean clothes on the bed that he was folding. Niall didn't speak, just walked up behind his husband and placed his left hand flat on the middle of his back. When Harry didn't move away he wrapped both arms around him and hugged him close, his cheek pressed flat against Harry's back right between his shoulder blades, "I'm sorry, darlin'."

Harry didn't react at first, just stood completely still with the shirt he was folding still in his hands. Then, he dropped the shirt onto the bed and laid his hands on top of Niall's clenched hands around his waist.

Niall took that as a good sign so he continued, "I was selfish earlier. I was in a grumpy mood and bitchin' and complainin' about everything. I didn't listen to you when I should have. I'm sorry for that. I'm going to make an appointment with our doctor tomorrow, okay? I'll get a full physical and make sure everything is going good with me."

Niall felt Harry's body shudder against him as his husband took in a shaky breath and let it out again. Kate was right - he had been crying and Niall hated himself so much right now. He honestly wanted to cry too.

Harry turned around in his arms and Niall got a good look at him. His eyes were a bit red and watery but he wasn't crying anymore at least, "I'm sorry too. I know I overreacted, Niall. I just-"

Niall reached up and put his index finger over Harry's lips, "Shhh. You didn't, darlin'. After what we both went through early on in our lives, losing people the way we did, it's understandable you'd react the way you did. I was the idiot here. You were only asking me to see a doctor and I was being stubborn. I'm sorry."

"I just love you so much," Harry murmured, wrapping his arms around Niall's neck and pulling him into a hug, "I can't lose you, Niall. I can't."

"Darlin'," Niall cooed into Harry's ear, his arms holding onto Harry as tightly as possible, "Oh H, I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here, darlin'. You're not going to lose me."

"I love you so much," Harry said into his neck, his voice shaking a bit.

"I love you, too, Harry. More than anything. You will never lose me," Niall said emphatically, "Here," Niall pulled back enough so that he could take one of Harry's hands and put it between them right on his heart, "Feel my heart beating? It's nice and strong, just like it always has been. I'm not going anywhere."

Harry sniffled and nodded his head, his eyes transfixed on his own hand laying flat over Niall's heart, "Okay. I'm gonna hold you to that."

Niall chuckled, "Good. I want you to."

"God," Harry cracked a small smile, his dimples popping just a little, "I've been quite dramatic today haven't I?"

Niall laughed a little and thumbed over one of Harry's dimples. It was one of his favourite things to do after all, "I'm more concerned about what brought all this on? Did something happen?"

Harry sat down on in the bed, huffing, "I was talking to my sister this morning. One of her friends who got married the same year as us just found out her husband has cancer. God, Niall it's horrible. He must have had it for years but he had no symptoms. It's in his colon and he only found out once his colon became completely blocked. He had surgery, they removed the colon completely but it's spread everywhere. He could be gone in three months. Just like that. One day everything was fine and then over the course of a couple of weeks these two people find out they probably have three months left together. My heart breaks for them. Then I kept thinking about if that happened to us. I couldn't bear it, Niall. I know it's a long shot but what if your headaches are from a tumour or something? If it can happen to them why can't it happen to us? That's why I want you to see a doctor. If one of us should ever get sick, if we catch it early..."

It all made sense to him now. He and Harry were always a little more cautious than other people because of their past but not as bad as Harry was today. It all makes sense now after hearing what was happening with Gemma's friend. Hearing that would shake anybody up. Niall himself was a bit shaken up right now. He couldn't even think about going through something like that with Harry.

"I understand, darlin'," Niall picked up one of Harry's hands and kissed the back of it, "I'm going to make an appointment tomorrow and we'll figure it out."

Harry linked their fingers together and turned his head to smile at Niall, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, darlin'. Anything for you yeah? Always. I've even been threatened by our daughter," Niall said with a snort.

"What??" Harry squawked, his eyes going wide, "Which one? Why?"

"When I got home I saw Kate in the hallway. She came to talk to you, apparently, and heard you crying so she left you alone. She was worried so I told her it was my fault and everything would be fine. She said it better be or I'll have to deal with her. She clearly loves her Papa," Niall chuckled fondly.

"Oh she's so precious!" Harry gushed, his smile lighting up his face the way it should, "Although I don't like that she heard me. I should have kept myself together for the kids. I never want them to worry about us or be scared."

"She's fine, Harry. You were upset. You're allowed to be. Besides, she's seen you cry before. You cry over our kids all the time," Niall joked, laughing when Harry shoved him, "Come on. We'll go downstairs and let her know everything is fine. Then we can get the twins ready for bed. They'll need to be double teamed tonight. Not only are they excited for school tomorrow, they're also excited that their new BFF Jacob is starting at the same school."

"Oh I talked to Finn earlier," Harry said as they walked hand in hand out of the room, "He said he's probably staying at Ozzy's tonight and will go with him to drop Jacob off at school. Ozzy is freaking out a bit. I'm not surprised. Remember us on Finn's first day of school? I bawled for an hour in the car."

"Yeah it was definitely a bittersweet day that's for sure," Niall laughed, "Ozzy will survive. Finn will be there to help him. Our boy is a good boyfriend. He gets that from me."

"Heeeeyyyyyy," Harry whined, stopping in his tracks while Niall kept on going down the stairs, laughing. "I was a good boyfriend, too, Niall Horan!"

Niall turned around to look at Harry, winking at him before turning back around and jogging down the rest of the stairs.

 

~~~

 

Finn was in bed with Ozzy, fast asleep until he felt something touching his cheek. He thought it was a fly at first but when he reached up to swat it away his hand touched something warm and his eyes fluttered open to see Jacob staring at him with a cute little smile on his face.

"Hey," Finn whispered softly so as to not wake up Ozzy. The light outside was still pretty dim so it couldn't be much past five o'clock. There was still another two hours before they had to wake up, "What's up buddy? You okay?"

"Yes," Jacob whispered back, "Is it time for school yet, Finny?"

Finn smiled and reached out to ruffle the little boys messy head of blonde hair. He really couldn't get over how sweet and precious this little boy was. He was so excited for his first day of school he was awake at five in the morning. "Not yet I'm afraid. Not for almost four hours."

"Oh," Jacob frowned and looked down at his feet, "But I'm not tired anymore."

Finn thought for a minute, deciding what to do. He wanted to let Ozzy sleep. He had a rough night last night worrying about his baby going to school for the first time. Finn had managed to calm him down but it was still after one in the morning when he fell asleep, after Finn had fucked him slowly, building up his orgasm for a long time. So he didn't want to wake him before he had to but where did that leave Jacob? Finn couldn't just leave the little boy to his own devices.

"I know," Finn slowly got up out of bed and grabbed a pair of Ozzy's joggers to put on since he was only wearing boxers, "How about I come out and get in your bed with you? We can read a few books and see if we can take a little nap until it's time for school."

"Okay!" Jacob said, the smile returning to his face.

"Shhh," Finn put a finger to his lips, "Let's not wake your Papa, okay? He was very tired last night. We'll let him sleep."

"Okay," Jacob whispered, nodding his head with his eyes wide. Then he turned and started to tip toe out of the room, Finn following behind him and shaking his head fondly. He was so in love with this kid. He wanted to be his Dad so badly and it didn't even scare him that he was only nineteen and thinking this way.

When they got to Jacob's room they both climbed into his bed and the little boy immediately snuggled into him, making his heart flutter. Everything this kid did made him melt. He was so far gone there was no going back now. No matter what happened to him and Ozzy in the future, Finn would always love this little boy and would fight to stay in his life.

"So what would you like me to read, Jakey?" Finn held up the few books he grabbed from Jacob's bookshelf on their way to the bed.

"Finny? Will I see Matty and Charlie at school?" Jacob asked, looking up at Finn with wide blue eyes.

"Well you won't be in the same class as they are because they're two years older than you but I think you'll see them on your breaks yeah. When you go outside to play at recess and at lunch after everyone finishes eating," Finn responded honestly.

"That's good," Jacob said, "Papa said I'll make lots of friends in my class but I want to see Matty and Charlie too. Do you like being their big brother, Finny?"

Finn reached out and laid the books on the bedside table since it seemed like Jacob wasn't too interested in a story after all, then turned back around to face the little boy he was coming to love so much, "I love being their big brother. I love being a big brother to Nori, Kate and Ryanne as well. I get to do all sorts of fun things with them. I take them places in my car and buy them things but I'm also there if they need to talk about something or if they need help. It's really nice being a big brother."

Jacob was quiet for a moment, a contemplative look on his face, "I want to be a big brother. I'd be a good big brother like you."

Finn smiled and reached out for the little boy, cuddling him into his chest and making him giggle, "Yes you would. You're going to be an awesome big brother someday, Jakey. The best."

They both fell silent after that and apparently they were both still tired because they fell asleep wrapped up together like that, only to be woken up at seven-thirty by Ozzy.

"Good morning," Ozzy whispered when Finn blinked his eyes open and tried to remember where he was, "I woke up and you were gone."

Everything that had happened a couple of hours previous came back to Finn instantly and he smiled sleepily up at his boyfriend, "Yeah. Jacob came in around five wanting to go to school. I convinced him to go back to bed for a bit. We were going to read some books but we were talking instead and I guess we fell asleep."

"You're both so adorable," Ozzy leaned down and kissed Finn softly on the lips, "Why didn't you wake me?"

Finn smiled and stretched his arms up over his head, "Didn't want to wake you. You needed to sleep. Big day today then a busy few weeks coming up for you. I'm here to help. Might as well let me."

"I love you," Ozzy said sincerely, leaning down for another, longer kiss, "I really, really love you."

Finn reached up and slipped a hand behind Ozzy's neck, stroking his thumb over his soft skin, "I really love you, too, Pet. Remember that I'm always here for whatever you need okay? You're not in this alone anymore."

Ozzy opened his mouth to say something but Jacob started to stir so he quickly kissed Finn one last time then they both turned their attention to the little boy, "Good morning little bear."

"Hi, Papa," Jacob said sleepily, rolling his body over half on top of Finn's. He rubbed his cheek against Finn's chest and rubbed one eye with his fist, "Hi, Finny."

"Hi, buddy," Finn smiled at the sleepy little bear cuddled into his chest and rubbed his back gently, "I guess we fell asleep huh? Had that little nap after all. It's a good thing, too, because you need all your energy for school."

Jacob's eyes opened wide and he sat up quickly, his hair flying everywhere, "School!! I'm going to school today. I got to get ready, Papa!"

Ozzy laughed and caught Jacob as he was about to jump off the bed, "Not so fast bear. First we need to go wash your face and hands and brush your hair. Then we'll eat breakfast. We have plenty of time."

"Your Papa is right, Jakey. How about I start breakfast while you're getting cleaned up?" Finn asked as he stood up from the bed, "Would you like some eggs and toast?"

"And apple juice please!!!" Jacob yelled happily.

"Of course. Can't forget our favourite juice," Finn chuckled then looked at Ozzy, "I'll meet you downstairs."

"Thank you, baby," Ozzy said, catching Finn's arm as he walked past and squeezed his wrist gently. Finn looked into his eyes and smiled softly at him. He could see in Ozzy's eyes that he was saying thank for a lot more than just getting breakfast started. He was saying thank you for just being there and thank you for helping him get through such an emotional time as his child starting school.

"You're very welcome, love," Finn said, reaching over with his free hand and placing it on top of the one Ozzy had on his wrist, squeezing gently.

Finn made a detour to Ozzy's bedroom and splashed some water on his face then pulled on a t-shirt before heading downstairs. He quickly gathered everything he needed to make scrambled eggs and got to work while listening to Ozzy's new album on his phone. It was an incredible rock album and Finn felt extremely lucky to be one of the few people in the world who got to hear it before it came out.

"Oh this is a good song," Ozzy teased when he and Jacob walked into the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Meh," Finn shrugged his shoulders, "It's alright I suppose."

Ozzy glared at Finn when Jacob had his back to them and mouthed "Fucker!"

Finn grinned and flipped him off then turned back to the stove to watch the eggs, laughing when Ozzy went after his arse with a tea towel. "Eggs are almost done. Want to put the toast down for me, love?"

Ozzy slid a hand over his hip and kissed his jaw as he walked past, "Sure baby. I'll pour the juice too. Do you want apple?"

Finn tipped his head back and puckered his lips for a kiss. After Ozzy obliged with a cheeky smile on his face Finn said, "Yes, please, apple is good."

They continued to move around like that, constantly touching each other in some way or other while they finished breakfast. It wasn't lost on Finn that they were like a little family. It didn't bother him. He loved it. He had a feeling a lot of people would tell him to slow down because he was only nineteen and he should live life a little, date a few different people before settling down, but why should he? He was happy. This was the life he wanted and he was going to do what felt right.

While they ate, Finn held one of Ozzy's hands under the table, a comforting gesture because he knew his boyfriend was nervous about Jacob starting school. Ozzy gripped his hand and smiled at him more than once as they listened to Jacob babbling on and on about school and how excited he was. It was a perfect morning and Finn could only hope there would be many more like it.

After breakfast they all went upstairs to get dressed and when Finn saw Jacob in his cute little outfit he couldn't help but coo and take a bunch of pictures that he immediately texted to his Pop, "Can I post one of these on my twitter, Oz?"

Ozzy laughed as he gathered up his keys and wallet from the table by the front door then knelt down to help Jacob tie up his vans, "Of course. I feel like Jacob should have his own twitter with how popular he's become on my twitter and instagram. My fans love to coo over him."

Finn laughed and quickly shared one of the pictures of Jacob captioning it 'First day of school' he tagged Ozzy then put his phone away and grabbed his car keys and sunglasses, "Are we ready to go?"

"Yes!!" Jacob cheered, a huge smile on his face and his brand new back pack bouncing on his shoulder.

"I think so," Ozzy looked around nervously, "Jacob's lunch is in his bag and he has all his supplies. I don't think I forgot anything."

"Good! We're all set then," Finn opened the front door and the three of them headed out to Finn's SUV. They got in and buckled up then Finn began the drive to the school, a smile on his face as he listened to Jacob singing along to the latest big pop song that was on the radio. He looked over at Ozzy and saw the nerves on his face so he reached over and laid a hand on his thigh, squeezing gently to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. When Ozzy looked over at him with a grateful expression and a look of love in his eyes it was all Finn needed as a thank you.

When Finn pulled into the school parking lot it was Jacob who spotted Finn's parents first. He let out a shriek and started kicking the back of the seats and pointing out Finn's Dad and Pop getting out of the car with the twins. Finn drove over to park next to them while Ozzy gently reprimanded Jacob for shrieking like that and kicking the seats, explaining to the little boy that it was dangerous to do that when someone was driving because it could startle them and cause an accident. Finn couldn't help but smile at that. He loved the way Ozzy parented, choosing to explain to his child what he did wrong and what he could do instead the next time. He didn't yell, scream and threaten Jacob with time out like some parents Finn has seen out in public. It reminded him of how his own parents were and how he himself wanted to be as a parent someday.

Finn parked the car and shut it off then got out to hug the twins while Ozzy was helping Jacob out of the car. Once Jacob was out the twins ran right over to him and Finn was left standing there laughing with his parents, "Hi Dad, hi Pop. Everything good this morning?"

"Morning Finn," His Dad fist bumped with him, "Everything's fine. Nori had a hair crisis. I sat back with my coffee while your Pop fixed it because he's magic."

His Pop laughed and rolled his eyes, "You forget I used to have long hair, Niall. Plus she got those unruly curls of hers from me. I have a lot more experience than her in taming them."

"Oh I haven't forgotten your long hair, darlin'. I remember it well. I used to wake up in the morning to your mane covering my face sometimes. Then there was the time you got this big wad of gum stuck in it and had to cut off an inch all around to get the gum out and keep it even. You were really loving your long hair at that point so you had a bit of a diva freak out that I happily got on video," Niall said, laughing at the expression on Harry's face.

"Oh God," Finn spluttered out a laugh, "Do you still have that video? I want to see that."

"Of course. Every picture and video I've taken on my phones over the years has been backed up. I'll find it for you, Bub," Niall said, laughing even louder when Harry squawked in protest.

"Hey," Ozzy came up beside Finn with Jacob's bag in his hand, "Harry, Niall. "

"Oh God," Harry guffawed and held out his arms to Ozzy, "Come here, love. You look like you're going to vom."

Ozzy groaned but easily walked into Harry's arms, letting Harry baby him while Finn watched on fondly. He loved and admired his Pop so much and it really made him happy that his boyfriend had him to lean on ever since they met on 'The Voice'.

"Believe me, I know it's hard to watch your baby go off to school for the first time, especially your first baby. Since we didn't get Rory until he was fifteen, Finn was our first baby and I was a complete mess on his first day of school. Niall got me through it, though, and I have no doubt my son will get you through it too." Harry said while hugging Ozzy tightly.

"Finn has been awesome. He's kept me sane through all of this," Ozzy said when he stepped back from the hug. He reached out for Finn's hand and Finn happily took it, rolling his eyes when his Pop cooed at them.

"We should get the kids inside now," Niall said, beckoning the twins over, "Come on boys, time to go inside. We'll walk Jacob to his classroom before we get you to yours."

The three kids all cheered and took off skipping ahead of the adults. They walked into the building and after visiting the office to find out what classroom everyone was in this year, they headed off down the right hallway, eventually stopping at a wide open door with lots of colourful decorations on it.

"Have fun today, Jacob!" Matty said, reaching out to hug the little boy. Thankfully Harry was quick and got a picture.

"Yeah! We'll see you at break time!" Charlie hugged Jacob as well then Harry and Niall led them off down the hallway to their own classroom.

"Alright. You ready, love?" Finn said close to Ozzy's ear so only he could hear.

"As I'll ever be," Ozzy answered, squeezing Finn's hand for reassurance.

"Are you ready to go inside, Jacob?" Finn asked the little boy who was practically bouncing on his feet and staring into the classroom with wide eyes and a smile on his face.

"Yes! Let's go, Finny and Papa!" Jacob said, reaching up to grab their hands that they had linked together and tugging.

Finn and Ozzy both laughed then Finn knocked gently on the door and indicated to Jacob to go ahead and lead the way in. They got halfway into the room when the teacher, who was crouched down and talking to a little blonde girl, stood up and turned around to greet them with a big smile on her face. She was in her early forties with shoulder length brown hair, brown, kind eyes, and Finn gasped because he recognized her immediately, "Mrs. Clarke??"

The teachers smile got wider if possible and she laughed lightly, opening her arms to beckon Finn forward, "Finnegan Horan! Oh my goodness it's so good to see you, love,"

Finn let go of Ozzy's hand so he could hug the older woman back, laughing himself now in disbelief, "It's good to see you, too. I had no idea you were Jacob's teacher. I thought my Dad had said you moved to Wales a few years ago or something."

"I did, I did," The teacher said when she stepped back and held Finn at arms length, "I moved back to London just this past June and got hired right back at this school. Just look at you! So tall and handsome. I've seen your footie matches on the telly. I can't wait until you're all healed up so I can see you in person here in London."

"Oh well I'll make sure you have tickets. Unless that's not allowed because you're Jacob's teacher?" Finn questioned.

"Who is this Jacob?" The teacher asked, fixing her eyes on Jacob and smiling, "Would that be you?"

"Yes!" Jacob stepped forward with a huge smile on his face and held out his hand, "My name is Jacob Peters and I'm four years old. I'll be five in -" Jacob stopped and turned around to look up at Ozzy, "How many days until I'm five, Papa?"

"Twelve days little bear," Ozzy said, the fondest, proudest smile on his face that Finn has ever seen.

Jacob turned back to the teacher, his little hand still shaking hers, "I'll be five in twelve days!"

"Well!" Mrs. Clarke crouched down to Jacob's level and smiled at him, "It's very nice to meet you, Jacob. My name is Mrs. Clarke but you can also refer to me as Mrs. C or just Miss, whichever you prefer."

"Okay!" Jacob said happily.

"Hey Jakey? Guess what?" Finn touched the little boys shoulder to get his attention, "Mrs. Clarke was _my_ teacher in Kindergarten as well."

"Really??" Jacob looked up at Finn and gasped before turning back to the teacher, "But you don't look very old."

"Hey! It's not like I was in Kindergarten a million years ago ya know?" Finn said, rolling his eyes playfully at Jacob.

"I knooooow that, Finny, but it was still a long time ago because you're old like Papa," Jacob said, talking slowly as if Finn was stupid.

Finn wanted to protest but Ozzy broke out into cackling laughter and all Finn could do was stare at him in awe because his boyfriend had the most amazing laugh and he looked so beautiful - Finn sometimes couldn't believe he was his.

"Tell me something, Jacob," Mrs. Clarke said through her own giggles, "Can you read your name yet?"

"Yes, I can! I can write it too. My Papa taught me," Jacob said, looking up at Ozzy proudly. The little boy thought the world of his Papa and Finn could immediately see the tears welling up in Ozzy's eyes when he saw the way Jacob was looking at him.

"That's very good of your Papa," Mrs. Clarke nodded, "If you look out at all the desks in the classroom, do you see your name Jacob?"

Jacob immediately started looking around at all the desks in the room, all of them with names on the top written on colourful paper and black marker. The paper also had different things on it like stickers, glitter and little fancy drawings. Finn remembered Mrs. Clarke always going all out for her students. Apparently some things never changed.

"There!!" Jacob shouted excitedly, gaining the curious attention of a few of the other kids playing at the back of the room, "I see it! I see my name! Is that it??" Jacob pointed to a desk near the middle of the room with a red piece of cardboard paper folded into a rectangle sitting on the top of the desk. It did indeed have the name Jacob on it.

"Very good, Jacob!" Mrs. Clarke clapped her hands once then walked a few feet to her desk where she picked up a sheet of stickers and handed one to Jacob, "You've earned your first sticker. You can keep it or put it on your paper with your name. It's up to you. Why don't you go put your bag at your desk then go introduce yourself to the other children who have arrived while I talk to your Papa for a few minutes?"

"Okay! Thank you!" Jacob said happily, then he speed walked down to his desk, dropped his bag there, and went to the back of the room, immediately telling everyone his name. The other kids seemed happy to see him and they all started playing just like that.

"Oh isn't he just precious? So polite and friendly. Smart as well. He'll do just fine here," Mrs. Clarke said to Ozzy and Finn with a big smile on her face. She held out a hand for Ozzy to shake, "I should formally introduce myself. I'm Melissa Clarke. I'll be Jacob's teacher for this school year."

"Ozzy Peters," Ozzy shook her hand and smiled, "It's really nice to meet you. It's kind of crazy you were Finn's teacher as well."

"It really is a small world as the saying goes. Are you Jacob's other Dad, Finn?" She asked, turning to look at Finn.

Finn couldn't ignore the warm feeling that came over him at the thought of being Jacob's other parent. Having the little boy refer to him as Dad, having legal documents that said the little boy was his and he could make decisions for him, being there for every milestone, teaching him things, tucking him into bed at night. He wanted all those things so badly he ached. He needed to put all that aside right now, though. He and Ozzy hadn't gotten that far yet and it wasn't up to Finn when or if any of that even happened.

"No," Finn gave his former teacher a small smile, "I'm not. Ozzy and I are dating."

Ozzy nodded, "I'm a single parent. Jacob's mom isn't in the picture."

"Well it's easy to see you're doing a wonderful job on your own, Ozzy. It's not hard to tell he's a very well adjusted little boy. I'm very happy to get to be his teacher this year,"

"Thank you so much. I'm glad to have you as his teacher. It's obvious Finn thinks highly of you and I trust him so I know my son will be in good hands," Ozzy smiled gratefully at the teacher.

"I see some other students arriving so I'll need to greet them. Take your time saying goodbye to Jacob if you need to. I know how bittersweet first days of school can be. I see it every September. I was sure Harry was going to vomit the day your parents dropped you off for your first day Finn," Melissa laughed, "If at anytime you wish to speak to me throughout the school year my door is always open after school hours and before or you can get my e-mail and phone numbers from the packet the school sent out to you with all the relevant information you need for the year."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Clarke. I guess I'll see you after school when I pick Jacob up," Ozzy said, shaking her hand one last time.

"That you will. I trust I'll be seeing you a lot as well?" Melissa asked Finn with a wink.

Finn laughed, "I'd say that's a safe bet, Mrs. Clarke. Have a good day."

Once the teacher went to greet more new students, Ozzy called Jacob over and got down on his knees in front of him, holding his head between his hands, "Papa and Finny are going to go now. We'll be back to pick you up this afternoon. Be a good boy like you always are, okay? I love you so much."

"I'll be good just like you taught me, Papa," Jacob said sweetly, kissing Ozzy on the nose, "I love you."

Ozzy pulled Jacob into a tight hug and Finn could see he was getting close to losing it now. He put a hand on Ozzy's shoulder and when Ozzy pulled back from the hug, Finn crouched down and offered Jacob a hug of his own, "I can't wait to hear all about your day later, buddy. Have a good day, yeah?"

"I will! See you later, Finny! Bye Papa!" Jacob grinned and waved at them then he took off back to the back of the room with his new friends.

"Come on, love," Finn slid his arm around Ozzy's shoulders and led him toward the classroom door. They exited the building and were back out in Finn's car in less than five minutes.

"Wow," Ozzy turned in the passenger seat to look at Finn with tear filled eyes but a smile on his face. That was a good sign.

"How are you feeling?" Finn asked tentatively while holding Ozzy's hand over the console.

Ozzy's laugh came out loud and a bit incredulous, "So many things. I don't even - I mean, he's my baby and I'm sad that he's not with me right now. For almost five years he's been with me as much as possible. Even when I went on tour he was right there with me. It's a big adjustment not having him with me all the time but at the same time I'm so fucking proud of him, Finn. He went in there fearless. He introduced himself to the teacher, he answered her questions, then he marched over to those kids playing in the back and joined in like they'd all been friends for years. He's so excited to be in that classroom, to meet new people and learn new things. I-I can't even think of anything else to say right now."

"I can," Finn smiled wide at Ozzy and lifted their joined hands up to his lips to kiss Ozzy's knuckles, "Jacob went in there fearless because you taught him to be that way. He went in there prepared with knowledge, he went in there with manners, he went in there caring for others because you taught him all of it. He's so smart, Oz. He knows his alphabet, he knows shapes, he can count all the way to one hundred, he can spell his name and he knows yours and Kara's phone numbers - he knows all of that because you spent time with him no matter how busy you were and you taught your son things instead of just sticking him in front of a telly. Not only that but he's a kind person who cares about other people. He's compassionate and empathetic. He's an amazing little human being and *you* did that. I'm so proud of you, Ozzy. So proud of the both of you."

That was it for Ozzy. He couldn't hold back anymore and the tears started to fall down over his cheeks. Finn knows he probably pushed him over the edge but he couldn't help it, he had to tell Ozzy how amazing he is, how amazing his son is because of him.

"God," Ozzy somehow managed to laugh through his tears, "I love you so much, Finn. You're so good to me."

"I love you, too, Ozzy, and I'm going to continue to be good to you for as long as you'll let me," Finn promised, reaching up to wipe some tears away from Ozzy's cheeks with his thumb, "Want me to take you home? We can have a quiet morning in."

Ozzy nodded and smiled at Finn through his tears, "That sounds perfect."


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody!
> 
> It took almost two weeks but I finally got this ready for you. Between work and writers block it can be hard sometimes. It's like I know in my head what I want to write but I can't get it down into words and it's so frustrating. I worked hard on this so I hope you like it and please do tell me what you think about it. If you like it and what you liked. I love to hear from you. 
> 
> Feel free to add me on twitter if you want @niallison23
> 
> Love you guys :)
> 
> Oh and sorry for any mistakes. I really suck at catching my own spelling errors.

 

 

  
As predicted, Jacob made friends with everyone in his class on the first day. When Ozzy and Finn went to pick him up after school, the little boy was happily chatting with two other little boys and a little girl. Once Jacob saw them he immediately wanted to show off his new friends to them and of course when the other kids parents showed up, those kids wanted to tell their parents about Jacob so Ozzy ended up meeting a few parents and ended up with phone numbers and promises of play dates.

Sure enough on the first weekend after school started, Jacob got an invitation to hang out with his new friend Carter on Saturday afternoon. Ozzy happily accepted and met Carter and his Mom at the park she specified which had lots of play equipment for kids. While the two kids happily played together, Ozzy got to know the mother a little bit and was happy when she didn't ask him anything about his fame or treat him any differently. They talked about their kids and parenting and discovered they both read some of the same blogs. They have the single parenting thing in common and when Ozzy left the park with Jacob that day he felt really good about making a friend in England that felt almost like an ally. It was hard being a single parent so it was nice to make friends with someone who really understood what it was like.

Of course by the time the next morning came around, Ozzy and Carter's mom, Geri were on the front page of the Sun as well as their website and apparently Ozzy was cheating on Finn. He and Geri were supposedly at the park and sitting close together talking intimately while Finn was at home waiting for him and oblivious to Ozzy's betrayal. Ozzy was used to this kind of thing but he felt bad for Geri so he sent her a text apologizing and she repeatedly told him she didn't care about some trashy tabloid and none of that would affect their son's budding friendship.

Along with Jacob starting school, Ozzy was busy getting ready for promo. He flew his band to London so they could practice the new songs he would be performing on all the shows he was going to be on. Obviously there was the first single that was already out but he was preparing two other songs as well because he knew he'd need at least two for SNL. So he was busy with the band during the day until Jacob got out of school then he spent his nights with Jacob and Finn. Finn was helping him plan a birthday party for Jacob's fifth birthday. Harry and Niall generously offered their house for the party since it was bigger and they had a pool. The weather was still warm so the kids could play outside and the parents could take them in the pool if they wanted.

The party was held on the second Saturday after school started and it was a huge hit. Most of Jacob's classmates were able to make it, save for three who were out of town for the weekend with their families or had previous commitments, and of course the twins were there along with Louis' kids and Rory's kids. It was a full house for sure and who knew Harry Styles-Horan was apparently the King when it came to throwing a party? The food, the sweets, the cake, the decorations - they were phenomenal. When Harry and Finn told him they'd take care of everything so he could rehearse with his band he never dreamed it would be anything so amazing. Of course Ozzy was nearly brought to tears when he tried to ask how much money he owed Harry and Niall wrapped him in a hug and said the party was on him and Harry, a gift from them to the little lad. He had honestly been speechless and all he could do was hug Niall back tightly and when he didn't immediately let go it seemed like Niall knew exactly why and wasn't in a hurry to let him go either.

Now, just two days before Ozzy is due to leave, he realizes that with all the excitement of Jacob starting school and the party and rehearsals, he completely forgot to talk to Finn about staying at his place sometimes while he's gone. Of course it's ten at night when he realizes this and Finn isn't staying at his house tonight.

Turning the volume down on the tv in his bedroom he picks up his phone from where it was next to him on the duvet and clicks on Finn's name to call him.

"Hello? Finnegan's phone," A very perky, very much not Finn's voice answered.

Ozzy was so thrown by it that he couldn't get anything out but "Uhhhh..."

"Yes? Hello? Is anyone there?" The woman asks, the sound of music and laughter in the background. Ozzy knew Finn was hanging out with Alexa tonight but that definitely wasn't Alexa.

"Yeah," Ozzy said, slowly drawing out the word, "Can I speak to Finn?"

"I think he's outside actually," The voice says, sounding a bit muffled now like there's a hand over the phone or something, "Can I take a message?"

No. Not a fucking chance. He wasn't leaving a message for _his_ boyfriend with some perky sounding little tart. Why the fuck was she answering Finn's phone anyway? "Um...no message. I'll call back."

Ozzy hung up and tossed his phone down onto the bed, crossing his arms over his chest and pursing his lips together. He was being completely ridiculous. He knew he was. There was no doubt about it. Finn was an adult who could hang out with anybody he wanted to. He didn't have to run it by Ozzy and get his permission. Just - why did some perky sounding woman have his phone? Why was she answering it as if she owned it and had every right to answer it? Why was she saying Finn was basically unavailable instead of going outside to hand him his phone?

Ten minutes later he was still sitting on his bed with his arms crossed, sulking. When his phone rang he grabbed for it and answered quickly, immediately hearing the same noise and music in the background that he heard before, "Hello?"

"Hey. It's me," Finn's voice filled his ear, "Did you call me? Is everything okay?"

"I did, yeah. I called you," Ozzy said, swallowing thickly.

"I'm sorry I missed your call. Are you alright?" Finn asked, his voice tinged with worry.

"I'm fine. Everything is okay. I just remembered there was something I really wanted to talk to you about. I was going to see if you could come over but I can hear you're in the middle of something so..." Ozzy trailed off not knowing what else to say.

"I can come over if you need me to," Finn said easily.

Ozzy closed his eyes and grimaced. Inside his head he was shouting 'YES! YES, PLEASE COME OVER' but he couldn't do that to Finn. It wasn't fair. Just because he was being a pouty brat and jealous over some tart that was probably gorgeous and all over Finn, didn't give him the right to mess up Finn's night. Finn has a life and friends, he can go out with them whenever he wanted. Ozzy trusted him completely and quite frankly he was pissed off at himself for getting jealous in the first place. It was ridiculous and he wasn't fifteen anymore for fucks sake.

Ozzy cleared his throat before he answered, trying to make sure he sounded normal, "No, that's okay baby. You're with Alexa celebrating one of her friends birthday aren't you? Enjoy yourself. We can talk tomorrow."

"I am, yeah. Al is throwing a party at her house for one of her uni friends. I know her a bit but not well. I was planning on leaving by midnight. You know hard partying isn't my thing and I think everyone will be well sloshed by that point," Finn laughed, "I could come over once I leave here if you want? I've got my key and if you're asleep I'll just slip in next to you and we'll talk in the morning."

A smile slowly crept onto Ozzy's face as he pictured Finn letting himself into the house and quietly walking up the stairs, probably poking his head in to check on Jacob before he made his way to Ozzy's bedroom, to Ozzy's bed, "Yeah baby, that sounds great."

"Good," Ozzy can practically hear Finn's smile in his voice, "I'll see you soon then. I love you."

Ozzy's heart melted, "I love you, too, Finn. See you soon."

Ozzy hung up and tried to get back to watching tv. He had come into his bedroom after putting Jacob to bed that night, deciding to get in bed and just watch some tv and relax. Kara would soon be responsible for Jacob full time while Ozzy was gone so he had given her as much time off as possible to spend with her friends and family beforehand. That meant she wasn't at home tonight and Ozzy didn't see any reason to be downstairs alone when he could cuddle up in bed and watch tv.

Unfortunately another half hour passed and Ozzy didn't hear a word that was said on the tv. He couldn't stop thinking about that woman answering Finn's phone. Couldn't stop wondering how pretty she was and if she was throwing herself at Finn. What if that kept happening and Finn decided he missed women? Missed the softness of their bodies and the sweet smell of their perfume? What if he missed the way they laugh or the way their hands would be smaller in his? What if Ozzy is gone so much that Finn just gets fed up and misses being close to someone? To holding someone while he slept?

By the time two hours had passed and it was after midnight, Ozzy had himself so worked up and in a panic that he still wasn't asleep. He heard when Finn got there and started to quietly make his way upstairs. He knew when Finn didn't show up right away that he had gone into Jacob's room to check on him. Then by the time his bedroom door started to creep open his heart was beating out of his chest and he had himself practically believing he was going to lose Finn to some imaginary woman he's made up in his head. Or the tart who answered the phone. Either or.

"Hey," Finn smiled brightly when he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, "You're still awake. Not gonna lie, I'm happy to see it."

"Yeah?" Ozzy answered, trying to appear normal when his heart was beating out of his chest.

"Of course," Finn crawled onto the bed on his knees and leaned in to kiss Ozzy sweetly, "I missed you. If you're awake it means I can kiss you and talk to you and see those gorgeous green eyes of yours."

Ozzy smiled and wrapped his arms around Finn's neck, sinking in to him when Finn kissed him again, this time making it longer and deeper, their tongues languidly moving against each other. He tasted faintly of tequila and lime which wasn't surprising since he knew if Finn was going to drink at all it would be either beer or tequila.

"Did you have a good night?" Finn murmured next to his ear as he nibbled and sucked at the skin right beneath Ozzy's ear.

"It was fine, yeah," Ozzy murmured back, even though it really wasn't fine.

When Finn pulled back he kissed Ozzy's lips one last time before climbing back off the bed and heading for the bathroom, "I'm just going to brush my teeth then I'll get into bed and we can talk if you want?"

"Yeah. Okay," Ozzy nodded as he watched his boyfriend disappear into the bathroom. He pulled the duvet up over his lap a bit and gripped the edge with his fingers while biting his lip. He wanted to ask about the woman who answered Finn's phone but didn't know if he should or not. Of course his curiosity won out in the end and he ended up asking, "Hey Finn?" He raised his voice a bit so Finn could hear him over the running water, "Who was that who answered your phone earlier?"

The water turned off and Finn appeared in the bathroom doorway wiping his mouth with a towel, "What do you mean?"

"When I called you earlier. Who was the girl who answered?" Ozzy tried to appear casual, not wanting Finn to know of his jealousy.

Finn frowned and disappeared into the bathroom again for a minute, presumably putting the towel back, then he walked back into the bedroom, removing his shirt as he walked, "I didn't know anyone had answered my phone."

"What?" Ozzy was confused, "Didn't she tell you you had a call? How did you know I called you?"

Finn finished undressing and neatly placed his clothes on a chair in the corner of the room. He walked over to the bed in nothing but his tight, navy boxers that nearly had Ozzy forget what the fuck he was even asking about, "Nobody told me anything. I was looking for a number in my call log for Asa and saw you had called ten minutes before so I called you back."

"Seriously? She didn't even tell you someone called and she answered _your_ phone? Clearly without your permission," Ozzy huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He was pouting again, he knew that, but he was also pissed off that someone just helped themselves to his boyfriends phone.

"Did she say who she was? What did she sound like? Was she British?" Finn asked, a perplexed look on his face.

Ozzy scoffed and kicked his leg defiantly under the blankets. He was officially a fucking child and he didn't even care, "What did she sound like? She sounded like a bimbo tart with her high pitched fake sounding voice. She even answered your phone with 'Hello? Finnegan's phone'" Ozzy said in a high pitched fake voice.

Finn looked at him for a long moment, the perplexed look on his face turning neutral then a slow grin crept over his lips and he started laughing, "Oh my God, Ozzy. Are you jealous? You're jealous right now!"

"I'm not jealous!" Ozzy protested even as he felt his own cheeks heating up. He was probably red as a tomato right now. It didn't help that he kicked his leg again and had his arms crossed over his chest like a defiant child. God he was an idiot.

"Yes you are!" Finn threw himself back against the pillows and laughed even harder, "You are! Oh my God you're so cute!"

"Shut up!" Ozzy snapped at him and slapped at his arm with his hand, "I'm not jealous and I'm not cute."

"Ozzy," Finn sat back up again, still fighting back laughter and giggles, "You just went on a rant about some 'bimbo tart' that answered my phone. What even is a bimbo tart? I don't even know."

"Finnnnnn," Ozzy was resorting to whining now. Oh God.

"I'm sorry. I'll stop laughing. I'm sorry," Finn said as he struggled to control himself, "Come on, Oz. You know you have nothing to be jealous about. I know you do."

Ozzy stared down at his crossed arms, his cheeks still warm with embarrassment, "Yeah. I know."

"Ozzy," Finn's voice turned completely serious and he rolled his body half on top of Ozzy's, lifting Ozzy's chin with his fingers, "You do know don't you? You never have anything to be jealous about. I'm in love with you. There's nobody else for me."

"I know," Ozzy sighed and picked at the blanket with his fingers, "I know. I really do. I just - she answered the phone and it caught me off guard. Then I started thinking about - god I feel so stupid. Never mind."

A frown came across Finn's face and there was a look of sadness in his eyes that made Ozzy's breath catch, "No, love, you're not stupid at all. Please don't feel that way. Whatever you're thinking or feeling right now, I want to hear it. I want you to talk to me. Nothing you say to me is ever stupid. I love you so much, Oz. Tell me what you're thinking. Please?"

Ozzy looked into Finn's eyes and smiled softly while wrapping his arms around him. They rearranged their bodies so that they were both laying on their sides facing each other and Ozzy reached out to slowly slide his index finger down over Finn's cheek, "You're an amazing man. I hope you know that."

Finn shrugged and gave him a half smile, "I try my best. Especially for you. You deserve the world, Oz, and I want to give it to you."

Ozzy felt his eyes sting with tears and he laughed at himself, "God. I swear I'm such a baby sometimes," He stopped to take a breath, "Okay so, I just - everyone thinks that because I'm this big famous rock star I don't have insecurities but I do. I'm no different than anyone else and when this girl answered your phone like she owned it I - I just let my mind get away from me I guess. I started thinking about all the things a woman can give you that I can't. I started wondering what would happen if you started missing being with a woman or simply just missed being with someone period since I'll be gone so much when I'm on tour. I don't want to lose you, Finn. I'm completely serious when I say I'd give up everything tomorrow and go work at the Tesco down the street if I had to. If you need me to be here everyday."

Finn smiled at him and cupped his cheek in one of his large hands, his thumb brushing over Ozzy's bottom lip and his lip ring, "I know you would, darling. You know what the good thing is though? Neither one of us has to give up our career. We're so strong, baby. We're so strong and we're going to make it work. It won't matter that you're gone so much. There's nobody else for me. I promise you. Nobody, male or female, will catch my eye. You're all I want, Ozzy. You and Jacob. I'm so in love with you there's no going back for me."

"Do you have any idea how happy you make me? In general but also when you always include Jacob? I mean, that boy is my heart and soul, Finn. He's my everything and for so long I was loving him on my own but now I have someone by my side who loves him just as much as I do and I can't even explain how that makes me feel. I wish I could but I can't," Ozzy said, his voice catching as he struggles to keep from crying.

"You make me just as happy, Oz. Not just you but Jacob too. I fell in love with the both of you and to me that's a blessing. I adore kids so if you're worried I'll want someone without kids someday you can stop right now. I don't care how old I am. I don't care if it's too soon to be serious or not. I love you and I love Jacob. I want you both in my life for as long as you want me." Finn explained in a determined voice, his eyes boring into Ozzy's practically begging him to believe what he was saying.

Ozzy did believe him. God he really did believe him, "What if I say I want you forever?"

Finn smiled sweetly and leaned in for a kiss, his lips lingering over Ozzy's as he whispered, "Then you'll have me forever."

Ozzy kissed Finn again, the both of them smiling into the kiss and ending up giggling, "I can't believe I was acting like a jealous teenager. I'm so sorry, Finn."

Finn slid his hand over Ozzy's hip, his thumb slipping under the waistband of his boxers. His touch made Ozzy shiver and made his heart beat faster. It always did. Ozzy honestly didn't know how he managed to survive when Finn fucked him. Clearly it's a miracle or something.

"Don't apologize," Finn said in a low voice, a huge grin on his face, "You were so cute. Oh my God. You looked like you wanted to find this girl who answered my phone and rip her apart."

Ozzy groaned and felt his cheeks heat up with a blush, "I'm so embarrassed."

Finn laughed and slid his hand up over Ozzy's bare back, pulling him in close and kissing all over his red cheeks, "Seriously Oz, don't be embarrassed. I actually like that you got jealous. I have insecurities just like you do so I'm not going to lie and say it didn't make me feel good to see you get possessive of me."

"God," Ozzy laughed and hid his face in Finn's neck, "I was so possessive. The thought of that girl even being near you and touching you had me seeing red."

Finn hummed and ran his fingers through Ozzy's hair, "Full disclosure. I don't know for sure who answered my phone but going by your description it sounds like Frankie. Francesca is her name but everyone calls her Frankie. She definitely let it be known to me that she's interested and I equally let it be known to her that I am *not* interested. Even if I were single she's everything I don't want in a relationship. She's the type of person who would answer my phone because she saw your name and was trying to start shit between us."

Ozzy pulled back from Finn's neck and gasped, "I knew it!! A bimbo tart!! A conniving bimbo tart! I don't like her."

Finn laughed and pulled Ozzy back in again, tangling their legs under the blankets, "Well you don't have to worry. She's not even a friend of Alexa's. She's a friend of a friend that's all. If I ever see her again maybe you'll be with me and we can put on a show for her."

Ozzy laughed and kissed Finn's neck and shoulder, "You've got a deal mister."

"Feel better now Pet?" Finn asked softly, his smile fond as he gently stroked Ozzy's cheek with his thumb.

"I do. Thank you," Ozzy murmurs and closes his eyes as he leans into Finn's touch.

"Do you want to talk about whatever you wanted to talk to me about now? Or wait until the morning?" Finn asked him.

"Oh. Right," Ozzy opened his eyes and looked into Finn's gorgeous blue ones, "Yes. We can talk now. I've been meaning to ask you something but it's been so busy the past couple of weeks and I guess I forgot."

"It's okay, love. Ask me now," Finn says easily, leaning in to kiss Ozzy just because, "I'm listening."

Fuck, Ozzy really loved this man, "Okay well, I talked to Kara about this and she's one hundred percent on board. I was just wondering how you would feel about coming over here and maybe even staying over some nights while I'm gone? I just - I was thinking you could still be around for Jacob while I'm away. He loves you so much and I don't see any reason for you guys not to be together just because I'm not here."

Finn stared at him for a minute, looking stunned, then a huge smile came across his face and he beamed at Ozzy looking extremely giddy, "Oh my God, Ozzy. I'm so happy you asked me that! I was actually going to ask you myself if you would mind if I picked him up from school sometimes? I could bring him back to mine to see the twins and my parents or we could go out together and do something. I could help him with his homework if he needs it. I mean, I know he doesn't get much being in Kindergarten and all but I don't know, I just want to spend time with him."

Ozzy blew out a breath in relief. Clearly he was worried about nothing. His sister was right, "Of course you can pick him up! I trust you with my son completely, Finn. Whenever you want to take him just call Kara and let her know. She's perfectly okay with it. I talked to her first because I didn't want her to think I doubted her ability as a nanny and Jacob's caretaker. She's been with me since after I won the show and has become one of my closest friends. Thankfully she just laughed and said she'd be happy to have you around whenever you want to be."

"Good, good," Finn nodded seriously, "I don't want to step on her toes or anything. I just want to be around if she needs anything. You haven't lived here for that long so if she needs to go somewhere or something and doesn't know where it is I can help or I can babysit Jacob if she needs a break. We definitely have to do a sleepover with the twins! My parents would love that and Nori and Kate just love Jacob so much. It'll be awesome!"

"I love how excited you're getting, baby! You're so cute," Ozzy laughed. He was so happy that Finn wanted to spend time with Jacob while he was gone. It feels stupid now that he was worried it might be moving too fast, "By the way, I already added your name to the list at school of people who are authorized to pick up Jacob. Do you think Harry would mind being on the list as well? I know there's you and Kara but you never know what could happen and I'd feel better knowing I had all my bases covered while I'm gone. This is the first time I'll be away from Jacob for more than a couple of days. Oh God."

"Hey, hey, hey," Finn cupped his cheeks with both hands, "Take a deep breath, love. Everything is going to be fine. I'm sure my Pop and my Dad will both be more than happy to be on the list. You go ahead and add them tomorrow and I'll let them know. As for everything else, Jacob is going to continue to go to school everyday and be happy, you're going to Skype with him every single day and Kara and I are going to make sure everything goes smoothly. He will be in the best of hands. You have my word on that."

Ozzy took a deep breath and looked into Finn's eyes. He took another breath and then another, never looking away from Finn's eyes until his breathing returned to normal and he lifted his hands to wrap around Finn's wrists, "Thank you. Thank you, baby. For being here when I need you, for helping me get through being away from my son for the first time, for just being you. Knowing you're going to be helping out with Jacob while I'm gone just eases my mind so much. It has nothing to do with Kara, I trust her completely, but when it comes to my son I like knowing he has a lot of people he can count on. I'll be able to go out and do my job, do what I love, and not worry too much."

"I'm glad, love. I want you to go do what you do and be happy. As soon as videos are posted online you know Jacob and I will be watching so don't forget to shout out to us," Finn said while laughing, "I honestly can't wait to see your interviews and hear you perform your new songs live. Your album is sick, Oz. You and my Pop work so well together. I'm so proud."

"Speaking of seeing me performing live...you know I'm doing SNL right? I told you?" Ozzy asked.

"You did," Finn confirmed.

"Weeeelllllllll," Ozzy dragged out the word, "To say I'm freaking out is a major understatement. SNL is an iconic show. I used to stay up on Saturday nights when I was a kid and watch with my sister. When I was a teenager I actually got tickets to go to a taping. Now I'm going to be the musical guest, Finn! I'm going to _be_ on SNL. I'm singing two songs and I'll be in skits probably. I'm freaking out so I was wondering if you could come over to New York for the weekend and - "

Finn leaned in and silenced him with a kiss, then another, and another, before pulling back and smiling, "I'll be there, Pet. Tell me when and where and I'll be on a plane, okay?"

Ozzy breathed out a sigh of relief and threw his arms around Finn in a fierce hug, "I love you so much my baby. Thank you. It'll mean so much to me to have you there."

"Maybe I'll even bring Nori and Kate if you don't mind? Can you get three of us in? They'd love to go to New York for a weekend and see you perform." Finn said, his eyes turning fond when he thought of his two oldest sisters.

"Yeah," Ozzy said softly, his heart melting at the fact that Finn thought to include his sisters, "I'd love for them to come along. Ask them and see if your parents are okay with it."

"I will," Finn promised, "It's late. Are you ready to get some sleep, love?"

"Yeah," Ozzy pulled the blankets up over him and wrapped his arms around Finn, resting his head on his shoulder, "It'll be time for Jacob to get up for school in a few hours. You got the light?"

Finn reached over and turned the lamp on the bedside table off then snuggled down under the blankets with his arms around Ozzy, "I got it. Sweet dreams, Pet. I love you."

"Love you," Ozzy whispered before he drifted off into sleep.

  
~~~

  
Niall is sitting in his office at work, leaning back in his chair while rubbing his temples when his assistant comes in with his mail, "Niall," She sighed and laid the mail down on his desk, a disapproving look on her face, "Do you still have a headache? I told you to go home and rest. Four weeks you've been like this and it's only getting worse. I've got everything covered here. Go."

Niall squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to get the pain to ease even a little bit with no luck. His assistant wasn't wrong, they were getting worse. Even the painkillers he got from his doctor weren't taking the edge off anymore. "Going home won't make it hurt any less, Maureen."

"Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but you're not doing anything here anyway. At least at home you can put some comfy clothes on and get in bed in a dark room or take a nice relaxing bath. You can let that sweetie pie of a husband take care of you. You know he would in a heartbeat. Harry worships the ground you walk on. Did you get results back from your doctor yet?" She asked as she grabbed Niall's bag and started packing it up for him.

"Not yet," Niall sighed. He had an appointment with his doctor last week and got some blood tests done as well as getting his blood pressure checked. His BP was perfect so that wasn't what was causing his headaches but the doctor ordered a full panel of blood tests since Niall explained to him he really wanted to be thorough for his husband's piece of mind. He was expecting the results any day now and in the meantime he prescribed something stronger for Niall than paracetamol until they found out what was causing the headaches. It worked okay at first but now the headaches were just getting worse as each day went by and Niall wouldn't show it but he was starting to get a bit concerned himself.

"Well you know what?" Maureen said as she zipped up his bag and grabbed his coat from the coat stand, "You're going home right now and you're not coming back here until those results are in. You've barely used any sick days in the thirty years you've worked here I hear, so using some now won't be an issue."

Niall sighed and stood up from his chair, taking his bag and putting the strap over his shoulder while hanging his coat over his arm. It was early afternoon in September so he probably didn't need it anyway, "Alright. Mark me in as sick for a few days. I'll text you if I'm feeling better and able to come in."

"Or just don't come in for awhile," Maureen said as she practically shoved him out the door.

Niall rolled his eyes at her but left without arguing anymore and headed down the elevator to his car. Once he got inside he sat there for a good ten minutes fighting the pain so he could drive. In the end he decided it was best not to drive in his condition. It wasn't worth risking his own life or someone else's just to remain independent. He wasn't about to call Harry though. His husband would freak out and probably force him to go to the hospital. He'd probably drive the damn car all the way up into the ambulance bay and refuse to move it until Niall saw a doctor. So he decided to just call an uber instead and worry about explaining everything to Harry later.

He got home a half an hour later and despite the pain in his head he smiled when he opened the front door because he could immediately hear Harry singing from somewhere inside the house, stopping sometimes to talk baby talk to Ryanne and making her giggle before starting to sing again. Niall wasn't sure what he was singing, if it was a current top forty hit or something Harry wrote himself but it didn't matter - his husband sounded amazing no matter what he was singing.

Leaving his bag and coat by the door, he walked further into the house, following Harry's singing to the kids playroom where Harry was tidying up a bit, dusting shelves, while Ryanne was swinging away in her swing and smiling at her Papa. Niall didn't blame her, he was smiling too.

When Harry seemingly finished the song and was just humming lightly under his breath, Niall cleared his throat to make himself known but it didn't keep from startling Harry any. He let out a yell and the cloth he was dusting with went flying into the air as he whirled around with a hand over his heart and a shocked look on his face.

"Niall!!" Harry breathed out, his voice a higher pitch than normal, "You fucking scared me! What are you doing here? It's not quite two in the afternoon."

"I know," Niall shrugged a shoulder and continued to stare at his gorgeous husband. He was truly beautiful inside and out and Niall considered himself to be the luckiest man alive to be the one who got to marry Harry and spend his life with him, raising kids together and just loving life, "I missed you and the little one. Decided to come home early."

Niall pushed off the doorframe he was leaning against and walked over to Ryanne's swing to pick her up, acutely aware the whole time that Harry was watching him with narrowed eyes. He chose to ignore it and picked up his smiling baby girl, kissing her cheek and holding her close, letting her grasp two of his fingers in her tiny fist, "Hello my princess. Did you miss Daddy? I certainly missed you. Just look at you! As pretty as ever. Look just like your Papa don't you? And Papa always dresses you in the cutest outfits every morning."

"Niall..." Harry tries to interrupt him but Niall is too caught up in Ryanne.

"God, Harry, there isn't much better in this world than holding a baby is there? They're so warm and snuggly and they smell like baby shampoo and baby powder. They're so precious," Niall coos as he holds his daughter close, feeling her soft skin against his cheek.

Harry doesn't say anything so Niall looks up and finds his husband looking at him with tears in his eyes and a trembling lip. They definitely weren't happy tears either.

"Harry?" Niall adjusts their daughter in his arms and walks over to his husband, reaching out and wrapping his fingers around his wrist, brushing over the soft skin on the inside of his wrist with his thumb, "What's the matter, darlin'? Is everything okay?"

Harry made a choked off incredulous sound and looked at Niall like he had ten heads, "No, Niall. Everything is not okay. You're lying to me and we said we'd never do that."

"What?" Niall's mouth dropped open and he stared at Harry with a shocked look on his face, "I haven't lied to you, darlin'. Where is this coming from?"

Harry shook his head and extricated his arm from Niall's grasp so he could pace back and forth around the room. Niall turned around so he could follow him with his gaze, ignoring the fact that Ryanne was chewing on his shirt collar and a big bubble of drool was forming, "Okay so maybe you didn't outright lie. I'm sure you did miss me and Ryanne while you were at work but that's not why you're really home is it? It's your head right? I can see how tired you look. I can see your eyes squinted like you're trying to ease the pain a bit. I can see how pale you look. Why can't you just be honest with me? I'm your husband, damn it! I deserve to know when you're not feeling well. Stop trying to protect me. I'm not some fragile flower that's going to wilt."

Niall stared at his husband and immediately felt guilty. For weeks now he's been downplaying his headaches - at first because he really didn't think there was anything to it and now because he didn't want to worry his husband. He didn't need the look on Harry's face to tell him that he was wrong. He knew that. He just chose to ignore it and now his husband was standing across from him and practically crying. Niall felt like shit.

Taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out, Niall walks over to Ryanne's swing and kisses the top of her head before he secures her back in and gives her her favourite stuffed toy to play with. Once he's sure she's happy and content he turns around to face Harry again, his hands sliding into the pockets of his work trousers, "You're right," He says quietly, "I'm sorry, darlin'"

Harry nods his head slightly and bites down on his lip to keep it from trembling. There's still hurt showing in his green eyes, along with something else that Niall thinks is fear. It makes him want to vomit, "Will you be honest with me now? Please?"

Niall took his hands out of his pockets and took three long strides across to where Harry was standing, gathering him in his arms and holding him close, "Of course I will. _Of_ _course_. I'm so sorry for not doing that in the first place. Come on," Niall gestured toward the couch in the playroom, "Let's sit down."

They both walked over to the couch and Niall sat in the corner, taking Harry into his arms as soon as he sat down beside him. Niall kissed his temple and then his cheek before speaking again, "You were right. I did come home because I wasn't feeling well. I wasn't getting any work done anyway so Maureen pretty much kicked me out and told me not to come back until my test results are in."

"Smart woman. Obviously that's why we get along so well," Harry says, smiling at Niall. It didn't reach his eyes though. It wasn't a real smile and Niall hated that. Harry had the most amazing smile and dimples. If it were up to Niall his husband would be happy every minute of every day and never stop smiling. "Your headaches are getting worse aren't they?"

"A little bit, yeah," Niall says sighing, "It's really becoming annoying. I just want to know what's wrong at this point, so we can fix it and move on with our lives."

Harry's quiet for almost a full minute when he whispers, "What if it can't be fixed, Niall? What if - fuck, I'm so scared, Niall. I'm so scared."

Niall's eyes filled up with tears as his husband gripped his shirt in his fist and buried his head in his neck and started sobbing. Niall held him tight and close, holding back his tears so he could remain strong for Harry. He knew if the time came when Niall needed him to be strong for him he would be so right now he was going to hold it together for his husband and let him get it all out.

When Harry's tears started to dry up and his sobbing slowed to hiccups he lifted his head to look up at Niall and Niall's heart broke in two when he saw the fear and vulnerability there, "Oh darlin'" Niall's voice broke and he had to stop to compose himself before he made Harry start crying again, "Please don't think like that, yeah? We literally have no reason or evidence to make us go there. Let's try to stay positive for ourselves and our kids, okay? We can't do this to ourselves. We'll go mad."

Harry sat back and sniffled, wiping a hand over his face to clear it of stray tears, "You're right. I know you're right. It's just - Niall I can't lose you. I can't live without you. I need you. Our kids need you. Ryanne is only five months old and - and you even said you want another one still. We have so much left to do together. I can't - "

Niall surged forward and held Harry's face in his hands, kissing him hard and passionately, putting every ounce of love he has for his husband into the kiss, making sure Harry could feel how much he loved him. When he pulled back they were both breathing heavy but Niall kept Harry's face in his hands and stared fiercely into his eyes, "You are not going to lose me, Harry. Do you hear me? No matter what happens I will fight harder than anyone has ever fought before. Do you know why? Because I have you and I have our children and grandchildren. Nothing is going to keep me from you. Do you hear me? _Nothing_."

Harry wrapped his hands around Niall's wrists and nodded. He was still sniffling from crying but he managed a small smile, a smile that was real this time and warmed Niall's heart, "I hear you. I do. I'm so sorry for losing it there for a minute. You're right - we don't even know what's going on yet. I'm jumping way ahead and driving myself mad."

Niall smiled at his husband and brushed over his cheeks with his thumbs, "It's okay, darlin'. I get it. I really do. You don't think I'd be the same way if our roles were reversed? You'd keep me in check, though, and that's what I'm going to do for you. We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. We're going to wait for the blood tests to come back and we'll go from there. Who knows? Maybe I just have some weird infection and I'll get antibiotics and be good as new in ten days."

"You're right. Of course you're right," Harry nodded again and took some deep breaths in and out, in and out, "Okay. I think I'm calm now. I just want to take care of you. Let me take care of you, okay?"

Niall looked into the pleading eyes of his husband and chuckled, "If it means that much to you..."

Harry leaned forward and kissed Niall quickly before standing up and holding a hand out to help Niall up, "It does. I love taking care of you, of our family. I'm going to make you tea right now and a sandwich since you probably didn't eat yet. You go upstairs and get in bed. Pull the blinds and curtains to make the room dark. Bring Ryanne with you. She's usually napping by now anyway so she'll be asleep soon. I'll be up in ten minutes okay?"

"Okay," Niall chuckled again and leaned in to kiss Harry before heading over to pick up their daughter. He wasn't going to argue with Harry. He was going to let him take care of him in any way he wanted. As long as it made him happy and made him feel better Niall didn't mind going up to bed in the middle of the day, "I love you, darlin'. Thank you."

"I love you, too, baby," Harry kissed Niall again when he walked over with Ryanne, "and I love you my little love bug." Harry said, tickling Ryanne's belly and kissing her cheek.

Niall chuckled and left the room, heading upstairs to get in bed. When he got into their bedroom he pulled the blinds and curtains and just turned on one lamp. He put Ryanne down on the bed on her stomach and surrounded her with pillows so she couldn't roll off then he quickly changed into a t-shirt and checked pajama pants. After that he filled a glass of water from the tap in the bathroom and took two of his pills before climbing into bed and propping a pillow behind his back so he could sit up against the headboard.

"Now miss Ryanne. Come here with Daddy," Niall spoke softly to his little girl as he picked her up and held her in his arms, "I bet Papa is going to bring your bottle with him when he comes back up. You and I can eat together. How does that sound?" Ryanne made a gurgling noise and waved her hand around in the air, making Niall giggle and lean down to kiss her nose, "I'll take that as you being happy we're having lunch together."

Just like he said, Harry came in ten minutes later carrying a tray with tea, a sandwich, crisps and of course a bottle for Ryanne, "You look cozy," Harry smiled and put the tray on the bed, "Our baby girl loves cuddling with her Daddy I think. I get it. She feels safe in your strong arms, just like I do."

Niall smiled softly at Harry and watched him as he grabbed a receiving blanket and sat down on the bed next to him, motioning for him to pass Ryanne over. Niall did and once she was happily in Harry's arms and drinking her milk, Niall pulled the tray up onto his lap and started eating the huge turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread that Harry had made him. It was delicious of course, the lettuce, tomato and turkey all fresh, "Thank you, darlin'. This is so good."

"You're welcome, love," Harry said softly, looking over at him and giving him a small smile while he fed Ryanne, "Are you feeling any better?"

"I am actually," Niall nodded and stopped to take a sip from his tea, "I took two pills when I got up here. My head doesn't hurt as bad as it did earlier."

"Good. I'm glad," Harry said, relief showing on his face and in his eyes. He smiled his dimpled, closed mouth smile at Niall, then continued to focus on their daughter and her bottle while Niall ate the rest of his lunch. By the time Niall was finished, Harry had Ryanne fed and burped and she was quickly falling asleep so he took her across the hall to her cot for her nap then came back to Niall in their bedroom.

"Hey," Niall said softly as Harry walked back into the room, "You look gorgeous today, darlin'. Did you know that?"

And he did. Today was an off day from the X-factor so he was dressed down in a pair of tight fitting dark blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt that fit his body perfectly, showing off his muscular biceps and broad shoulders. It especially looked good against his tanned skin from a Summer spent outside playing with their kids. His hair was pushed back off his forehead and without any product it was wavy and a bit askew from Harry running his hand through it all day. He looked like a fucking model and Niall certainly didn't hide his appreciation for his husband's body as his eyes roamed over his thick thighs in those jeans.

"Niall," Harry rolled his eyes at him but couldn't hide the faint blush on his cheeks and the fact that he was biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling, "I do not. I've been running around all day doing chores and running errands. I'm a mess."

Niall beckoned Harry over to his side of the bed and wrapped his arm around Harry's waist when he got there. He pulled him down onto the bed, quick as lightning, then rolled over on top of him, their legs a tangled mess and their torsos pressed perfectly together. Niall moved in on a very surprised Harry and let his lips linger over his when he said "You're my mess."

"Hello," Harry stared up at him with wide, green eyes.

"Hi, Darlin'" Niall smirked and kissed Harry tenderly, his hands squeezing Harry's love handles that he never could get rid of no matter how hard he worked out. Niall is very glad of that. He adores those love handles, "You're my gorgeous, sexy, breathtaking mess."

Harry shivered slightly underneath him and his tongue came out to lick over his lips. His eyes were still wide and he looked a bit like he didn't know what to do, "What - what are you doing, Ni? What about your head? You should be resting."

"I am resting," Niall whispered as he bent his head to nip at Harry's jaw, "I'm just resting on top of you is all."

Harry snorted at that and started giggling, making Niall laugh loudly and look down at him adoringly, "Nialllll. Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"Oh darlin' I've never been so sure in my life. The baby is asleep, the other kids are at school, my headache has eased up, I'm feeling relaxed after a lovely meal and a cup of tea, and my sexy, fit husband is underneath me looking good enough to eat. What more do we need for this to happen?" Niall asks, his eyebrow raised.

"You're ridiculous," Harry laughed and rolled his eyes at Niall while at the same time he was moving his legs out from under Niall and wrapping them around Niall's body, "So ridiculous but I love you fiercely and I can never say no to you when you're looking at me like that."

"How am I looking at you?"

Harry smiled and slid one hand up Niall's muscular back and into his hair, "Like I'm everything."

Niall couldn't help but smile down at Harry adoringly, lifting a hand to brush his fingers over Harry's cheek, "You are everything. To me. To our family. Even to your fans. We all love you very much, darlin'."

Harry pulled Niall down into a kiss and the moment their lips touched Niall knew it was going to turn hot, heavy and desperate pretty quickly. That was certainly alright with him. They hadn't had sex in a few days because he's just been so tired and going to bed early with these headaches so he was pretty fucking desperate to get his hands all over Harry's soft skin and his cock inside his perfect arse.

As their tongues moved together like they were in sync, Harry squeezed his thighs around Niall's waist making Niall moan into the kiss and kiss him harder. One of his hands moved down over Harry's hip and over his thigh, squeezing the muscle there then moving up to his ass and squeezing there too. Harry had the most amazing ass and legs, both becoming more defined over the years as he continued to work out. Knowing exactly what was under those tight jeans only made Niall want his husband more. Made him even more desperate.

Niall began to move his hips, grinding on Harry where their cocks were pressed together. Harry moaned and broke their kiss, moving his own hips to meet Niall's and tightening his legs even more around Niall.

"Jesus," Niall cursed, his breathing heavy from their kiss, "Gotta get these clothes off, darlin'. I need to get my hands on you."

Harry, who was kissing along Niall's neck and jaw, immediately dropped his legs from around Niall's waist and spread out underneath him like a starfish, "Get me naked then."

Niall pushed himself up off Harry, laughing at his husband's antics, "You gonna help me out at all?"

"Nope," Harry said, popping the p, "I think you should just have your way with me."

"Oh I'm gonna have my way with you alright," Niall said through his laughter. He pulled his t-shirt off over his head and quickly stood up so he could drop his pajama pants. When he looked up again he saw Harry looking at him with bright green eyes and biting down on his bottom lip. The look honestly made Niall's stomach swoop because he just turned fifty-four a few days ago and even though that certainly isn't old it still made him feel good that his husband still looked at him with hunger in his eyes.

Crawling back onto the bed, Niall crawled between Harry's legs again and hooked his fingers into the hem of Harry's t-shirt. Harry immediately lifted his arms over his head so Niall could lift it off him and within a few seconds the shirt joined Niall's clothes on the floor. "You're gorgeous as ever, H," Niall murmured as he sat back on his heels and admired his husband's defined body. His pecs, biceps and abs were perfect in Niall's opinion. Not overly defined like a body builders, just the right amount of defined so that when Niall touched him he could still feel a bit of softness amongst the hard muscle. Then there was all the tattoos that Niall knew by heart. He could trace every single one of them with his tongue even if he were blindfolded.

"Niall?" Harry said his name softly, jarring him from his thoughts. When he looked up, Harry was looking at him with the fondest look that made Niall melt inside and want to surge forward for a kiss. He didn't, though, because there was something else he wanted to do first.

"This right here," Niall said as he reached his fingers out to graze over one of Harry's tattoos, "Is my favourite tattoo. It does something to me every time I see it even though I've been looking at parts of it for over twenty years now."

The tattoo Niall was talking about was the ones Harry got with the dates of their children's births, along with the date when they first found out Rory was Niall's biological son. It warmed his heart every time he saw it and right now he couldn't help but lean down and kiss Harry's arm right over the tattoo. Of course Harry didn't stop there over the years. He already had the letter A and G on him for Anne and Gemma as well as N for Niall, then over the years in random places he got an R for Rory, an F for Finnegan, an N for Nori but in a different font than Niall's, a K for Kate, an M for Matty, a C for Charlie and now an R for Ryanne in a different font than the R for Rory. It was so beautiful to be able to look at his husband's body and see their family represented there.

"Our family is with me always," Harry murmured softly, his hand coming up to cup Niall's cheek.

"God, I love you so much," Niall said, his voice getting choked up. He surged forward and kissed Harry again, delving his tongue inside his mouth and kissing him deeply. Harry held on to him, his fingers digging into Niall's hips as his tongue met Niall's stroke for stroke. When they both had to pull back to breathe, Niall moved down to Harry's neck, kissing his way down over his collarbones, his chest, his abs, stopping when he reached the waistband of Harry's jeans. He popped the button open and pulled down the zipper, exposing the line of hair that led into Harry's boxers. The sight of it made his mouth water and he couldn't stop himself from biting down on the soft skin there and revelling in the sharp intake of breath Harry took, followed by a deep moan.

"Niall... _fuck_ ," Harry said breathlessly, his hips twitching under Niall's hands.

Niall continued what he was doing, sucking a bruise into the skin that would always be hidden by Harry's pants. His husband did walk around shirtless in the house sometimes and there was no need to mortify their kids by leaving love bites where they can see them. When he was done and took a minute to admire his work, his smirked up at Harry and tapped him on the side of his butt so he'd lift it and let Niall take his jeans all the way off.

"You're a fucking dream, darlin'" Niall murmured as he discarded Harry's jeans and boxers too. His cock was hard and resting against his hip and his thighs looked as delectable as they always did, "Wanna mark you up everywhere."

"Want you to," Harry said, biting down on his lip as he looked down at Niall. His hair was messed up from the pillow and his eyes were burning with lust. Niall wanted to absolutely ravish him.

"Well if that's what you want..." Niall said with a cheeky smile then he dipped his head and kissed along Harry's muscular thigh while running his hands up the sides of Harry's legs. He bit down into the pale skin of Harry's leg right at the same time as he squeezed Harry's ass, making Harry arch his back up off the bed and moan long and deep sending shivers right through Niall's body and making his dick throb.

"Oh fuck that feels incredible Niall," Harry murmured, his hands sliding into Niall's hair and massaging his scalp while he continued to suck bruises into the pale skin of Harry's thighs, "So good, baby."

Niall dug his nails into Harry's arse and continued to squeeze while making his way up to Harry's cock. He ignored it and sucked Harry's balls into his mouth instead, humming and making Harry tighten the grip he had on Niall's hair. Niall loved it. Loved getting a reaction like this from his husband. It was incredible and made him want to pleasure Harry all day.

"Get the lube for me?" Niall asked when he popped off Harry's balls. He took Harry's cock in his hand and pumped it slowly while he waited, smirking when Harry closed his eyes and moaned in pleasure. He ended up making a mess of the drawer by accidentally opening the lube and pouring some inside but that didn't matter - they could clean that later. Right now Niall had a husband to fuck.

"Niall..." Harry moaned his name and licked his lips as he looked down at Niall, "God. How do you make me feel so good all the time? I love you so much, baby."

Niall let go of Harry's cock so he could pour some lube out on his fingers. He smiled fondly up at his husband while he circled his rim with his finger. He pushed one inside slowly and bent down to kiss Harry's thigh again, licking his tongue out over the bruises he left and making Harry pant and breathe heavier. He made his way up to Harry's cock again, this time taking it into his mouth and holding onto the base with his other hand. He bobbed his head up and down, getting Harry's cock nice and wet with his saliva while continuing to slide his finger in and out of Harry's hole.

"Jesus fuck!" Harry cried out when Niall tongued at the head of his cock and swirled it around. He gripped on to Niall's hair again and Niall moaned around his cock, letting him feel the vibrations, "More. Please. Another finger. Another finger!"

Niall popped off Harry's cock and chuckled, working it with his hand instead while sliding finger number two into his hole. He began to pick up the pace, getting desperate to get inside his husband. His cock was hard and untouched, precome beading at the head and he needed relief like yesterday!

"Oh God!" Harry cried out when Niall crooked his fingers and hit his spot. He arched his back again, looking fucking sinful while Niall was taking him apart.

"You look so fucking good, darlin'. I can't wait to fuck you. You're so good for me, yeah? So ready, so receptive. Love you so much," Niall babbled as he slipped a third finger inside his husband. He worked them in and out quickly and efficiently, making sure Harry was nice and open for him while continuing to work his cock with his other hand.

"I'm ready," Harry gasped out finally, "God, I'm so ready. Please fuck me. Need you, Niall."

And what the fuck was Niall supposed to do when his husband was begging him like that? When he looked so fucked out already with his hair messed up, his eyes blown, his lip red from being bitten and his legs spread open sinfully wide to give Niall access. He was going to give his husband exactly what he wanted, what he needed, that's what!

He slipped his fingers out of Harry and let go of his cock so he could lube up his own cock then he lifted Harry's legs up over his arms and positioned himself on his knees with his cock right at Harry's entrance, "Ready darlin'?"

"So ready," Harry practically moaned out, his chest already glistening with sweat and moving rapidly up and down as he breathed heavily.

Niall stretched his body forward enough so he could kiss Harry on the lips and whispered, "Love you," before he started to push inside, stilling once he bottomed out to let Harry adjust. After a moment he began to move, the pace slow at first as he teased his husband a little. He loved working Harry up until he was a complete mess and could barely string a sentence together.

"Come 'ere," Harry grabbed for Niall wanting him to lean down over him. Niall complied, bracing his arms on either side of Harry's head to support his weight. Harry immediately wrapped his arms around his neck, delving his fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck then running them down his back and scratching him with his nails. It was fucking incredible and Niall couldn't help but speed up his pace, snapping his hips as he fucked into his husband and made him cry out and moan loudly.

"Like that, darlin'?" Niall panted, his face right over Harry's face so the two of them could look into each other's eyes. It was an incredible feeling being this intimate with the person you were in love with, the person who has been your heart and soul for over twenty-five years. It was incredible to look down into your loves eyes this way, while your bodies are joined and you're both trusting each other completely, baring your souls to each other. It was a feeling that took Niall's breath away, that made him feel perfect and whole. It was _everything_ and he would be damned if he was going to lose this. No - whatever was going on with him, it would _not_ take this away from him. He didn't care if he had to go to the other end of the earth and take some weird herbal medicine. Some weird experimental drug. Nothing was taking him from his husband. _Nothing_.

Sometime later, when they were both coming only moments apart and calling out each other's names, Niall had to reach up and quickly wipe at his eyes before any tears could fall. Before Harry came down from his high and opened his eyes to see them. Niall refused to give in to the fear that was slowly building inside him. He refused to let these headaches take over his life. Right now he was alive, he had his husband, he had his kids, and he was going to fight like hell to keep it that way.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everybody!
> 
> Thank you for all the amazing love for this story! It means so much to me. This series has become a part of my life now and I've come to love the characters and stories I've created. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. There's some drama on the way so hold on tight! 
> 
> Let me know what you think and as always you can message me on twitter if you want to chat @niallison23
> 
> Also I apologize for any mistakes. I'm terrible at catching spelling mistakes when I read through my own work.

 

 

  
Finn is walking through Waitrose doing some shopping when his phone starts ringing in his pocket. When he pulls it out and looks at the screen he sees it's Ozzy calling and answers with a smile on his face, "Hi, love. Alright?"

"Hi, baby. I'm so glad to hear your voice right now," Ozzy sighed. He sounded exhausted to Finn and when he quickly did the math in his head he realized it was after one in the morning in L.A. It's no wonder he sounded exhausted.

"Long day?" Finn asked softly, making sure nobody around him was listening in to his conversation. He always worried he'd say something too personal and end up embarrassing his boyfriend. Ozzy told him not to worry about it, he didn't care about anything like that. He didn't want Finn changing the way he behaved just because he had a famous boyfriend. So far Finn is working on it but hasn't completely stopped worrying yet.

"The longest. I need to talk to your Pop when I get back, get his advice. My management is driving me nuts. I mean, they're not bad or anything, they're great people but they just don't _get_ me, ya know? I want to see if Harry has any good recommendations for a new firm. I'm pretty sure I am only obligated to stay with this firm through two albums. I'll get my lawyer to check it out. Anyway, how are you? I fucking miss you and my little bear so much. I swear my chest hurts from it," Ozzy said.

"I miss you, too, Pet," Finn says with a silly grin on his face. He's walking through the produce section, slowly pushing the cart in front of him. It was quiet in the store since it was still early yet and Finn liked it that way, "I'm doing good. Really good today actually. You talked to Kara yesterday right?" Finn stopped while Ozzy confirmed he did, "Well she probably told you she felt like she was coming down with something. Anyway when she woke up this morning she felt and looked awful so I sent her back to bed and I got to spend time with the little lad. We had breakfast and I got him ready for school. I dropped him off not too long ago actually, now I'm doing some shopping. Kara gave me a list of things she needed for her and Jacob. Things he likes to bring to school for breaks and all that. I'm hanging out with Rory after I'm done here then we're going to pick the kids up from school together and I'm taking Jacob to his place to play with Danny for a bit, let Kara have a nice quiet house so she can sleep."

Ozzy started chuckling on the other end of the phone and Finn ducked his head down a bit, biting his lip to keep from smiling too much. He's a bit embarrassed by how much he just went on and on but he couldn't take it back now, "Oh my God, baby. Just listen to you! You're having the time of your life there without me."

Finn laughed loudly then quickly looked around to see if anyone noticed. There was one worker stocking shelves nearby but he looked like he could care less about whatever Finn was doing, "You know I miss you like crazy. I just - I really love taking care of Jacob. I love hanging out with him. It means a lot to me that you trust me with him. I'd protect him with my life if I had to. I hope you know that."

"I do know that," Ozzy said in a soft voice, "I'm so exhausted right now. I'm at my hotel in my bed, barely awake, and yet you've got the hugest smile out on my face. Listening to you talk so excitedly about doing everyday things for Jacob is so incredibly endearing. Honestly you take my breath away Finnegan Horan."

"Wish I was there in that bed with you to be honest," Finn said, lowering his voice a notch, "I miss sharing a bed with you. It helps a bit when I stay over and sleep in your bed. It smells like you. Still miss you so much though."

"I know what you mean. I stole some of your shirts to sleep in because they smell like you. There's so much clothes missing from your drawers at my place. I'm surprised you haven't noticed," Ozzy said, laughing when Finn let out a sound of disbelief.

"No! I hadn't noticed! I'm gonna have to go home and get more clothes to keep at your place while you're gone," Finn said, laughing himself as he puts the last items on his list into his shopping cart, "I like the idea that you took my clothes with you. That's probably as far as I should go on that topic since I'm in public."

Ozzy laughed loudly and Finn simply grinned as he pushed his cart toward the checkout. He loved listening to Ozzy laughing, "I should probably get going anyway. Get a few hours sleep before I'm back at it. I just wanted to talk to you before I go to sleep."

"I'm glad you called, love," Finn said as he pushed his cart up to the counter and started unloading his items. He smiled at the cashier then tuned back in to Ozzy.

"I've got time booked in the middle of my day to Skype with Jacob. It's at six tonight your time. Will you set it up for him?" Ozzy asked.

"Absolutely. We'll be there!" Finn confirmed.

"Thank you, baby. I love you so much. Talk to you later," Ozzy said.

"You will. Love you. Sleep well," Finn said then hung up his phone and put it back in his pocket.

"That was so sweet," The cashier who was ringing in his items, said with a smile on her face, "I adore Fizzy. I can't believe I'm meeting you right now. Gosh. I think my hands are shaking a little."

Finn smiled at the girl and since there was nobody behind him he could hold up he held out his hand for her to shake, "What's your name, love?"

"Jessica," The girl said while shaking Finn's hand. She wasn't kidding her hands were shaking a little. It was so bizarre to him because he didn't see himself as anything special, certainly not anyone for people to freak out over.

"It's nice to meet you, Jessica. Are you a football fan or just an Ozzy fan?" Finn asked, chuckling.

"I'm both actually," Jessica said as she placed items into the reusable bags Finn brought, "My Dad and my older brothers are Chelsea fans so I grew up watching football. I also love music and Ozzy is one of my favourites so you can imagine my reaction when I saw you guys are a couple. I literally screamed. My boyfriend came running because he thought I fell over."

Finn laughed loudly at that, "Well at least he's a good boyfriend and came to see if you needed help."

"Yes that's true. Do you think we could take a picture real quick before my boss sees? I mean, would you mind?" She asked rather nervously.

"Sure, love. Got your phone with you?" Finn asked.

The girl nodded and quickly took it out of her pocket then Finn leaned over the counter so that their heads were side by side and she snapped a few pictures, "Thank you so so much, Finn. It's so amazing to meet you."

"I'm happy to meet you, too. Do you have a pen there? If you have twitter you can give me your twitter handle and I'll get Ozzy to follow you and send you a message since he's not here right now." Finn suggested.

Jessica gasped and frantically searched around behind her counter for a pen. When she found one she ripped off some receipt paper and wrote her twitter handle down, passing it to Finn with shaky fingers, "Oh my God. I can't believe this. Thank you. Thank you."

"It's no problem," Finn smiled, "Ozzy will be happy to do it. He's pretty good with his fans isn't he?"

"He's the best!! He always takes time for fans. I think that's part of why he's liked so much," Jessica agreed.

They chatted for another minute while Finn paid then he was on his way out with a wave and a smile to pack everything into the back of his car.

  
~~~

  
"Rory!!" Finn called out when he walked into his brother's house after dropping off the groceries at Ozzy's place and putting them away, "Where you at?"

"Kitchen!" Came Rory's reply so Finn headed that way and walked into the kitchen to find his brother in nothing but a tight pair of boxers with his arse hanging out of the fridge.

"Jesus Christ!" Finn shook his head and laid his keys on the kitchen island, "Why are ya walking around practically naked?"

Rory popped his head out of the fridge and stuck his tongue out at him then went right back to whatever he was doing that required him to be half in the fridge. When he finally came out of there a couple of minutes later, he had a huge bunch of paper towels in his hand, "I spilled milk all over the fridge. Had to clean it before it got all gross. Sorry."

Finn laughed and shook his head at his brother, "Still doesn't answer why you're practically naked."

Rory shrugged and threw the paper towels in the garbage, "Why not? There's nobody home. Might as well be comfortable."

"Did you do this before you met Dad and Pop or is this Pop's influence?" Finn asked, genuinely interested in the answer. If he really thinks about it he's never really asked Rory too much about his life before he came to live with their Dad and Pop. He knew the basics but that's about it.

Rory grabbed an apple from the basket and gestured for Finn to follow him. They went into the living room where Rory had a sports channel on, "Pretty sure it's Pop's influence. Mam hated it when I walked around in my underwear so I didn't do it much. When I came to live with Dad and Pop it was just the three of us until you came along and they didn't care if I walked around in my underwear."

Finn hummed and tucked his good leg up underneath him while propping his bad one up on the coffee table, "Dad and Pop are pretty easy going as long as we're not doing something dangerous or wrong. We're lucky aren't we? In the parents department."

"Damn straight," Rory nodded, "Don't you ever forget that either. Back in Ireland before we moved to London, there was a kid at school who was a punching bag for his Dad. If anyone ever hit any one of us, _they'd_ become the punching bag for Dad and Pop. Pop would probably hold them down while Dad beat the shit out of 'em."

Finn and Rory both laughed and Finn knew full well that Rory was right. Their parents would protect them with everything in them no matter what. Finn felt that way about Jacob these days and it surprised him at first, feeling so strongly for a kid that wasn't his, but now he just embraces it. This amazing little man is in his life and he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, hopefully never, and Finn just hoped he could help Ozzy give him the kind of life he had growing up with the two best dad's in the world.

"Something on your mind little brother?" Rory asked while chomping loudly on his apple.

"Hmm?" Finn turned to look at his brother, "What?"

Rory swallowed the apple that was in his mouth and smirked at Finn. Not for the first time Finn couldn't help but think how much Rory looked like their Dad when he did that, "I asked what was on your mind although I probably don't have to. You had a far away look in your eyes and this little smile on your face - you were thinking about Ozzy weren't you?"

Finn rolled his eyes at Rory then looked down at his hands in his lap, a smile on his face, "Sort of. I was thinking about Jacob and how I think I truly understand how you, Dad and Pop feel about your kids. How you want to protect them always and would do anything for them. I - Rory I love him more than anything. It's absolutely crazy yet awesome all at the same time."

Rory was quiet for a few minutes, the only sound in the room was the sound of him chewing on his apple. Eventually Finn looked over at him worriedly, wondering if his brother had a big problem with what he just said, "Rory? Why aren't you saying anything? Do you - do you think it's a mistake how I feel? Do you think it was too fast?"

Rory finished his apple and put it on the coffee table on top of a napkin then he fell back against the couch cushions and turned to look at Niall while reaching over and patting his thigh a few times with his hand, "No, actually, I don't. I was quiet for a minute because I was thinking about it and I realized there's nothing for me to think about. I see the way you and Ozzy are together, the way you look at each other. You have a great relationship, a special connection that reminds me of Dad and Pop. I really don't see the two of you breaking up ever again to be honest, so it's only natural you'd form a relationship with Jacob and fall in love with him. He's a pretty amazing kid. We're all happy to have him and Ozzy around."

"He really is amazing isn't he? I love taking care of him. This morning I woke him up and got him ready for school, got him breakfast, and drove him to school. We sang songs in the car and chatted, then he hugged me and waved with a big smile on his face after I said goodbye at his classroom. I loved every second of it. I'm really looking forward to helping out while Ozzy is gone. I know Kara doesn't need help, she's quite capable, but I think it's nice we can work as a team so she can have a break sometimes. I'm so grateful Ozzy allowed me to do it," Finn gushed, a huge smile on his way while he spoke about Jacob.

"Jesus," Rory gaped at Finn then started laughing, "You sound like a proper Dad already! I wouldn't be surprised if he calls you that. Does he?"

"No," Finn shook his head, "He calls me Finny. Oh God, Rory. What if he does call me Dad? What am I supposed to do? What do I say? What if I cry?"

Rory chuckled and pulled Finn into his side with an arm around his shoulders, "Don't start over thinking things. It's inevitable that he will at least see you as a father figure someday if you and Ozzy are together for a long time and eventually get married. What he calls you is something you need to discuss with Ozzy."

"What did you call Pop the first time you met him?" Finn asked his brother.

"I called him Harry and I even called Dad Niall. They were strangers to me and I had to get to know them. It only took a few months for me to call him Dad though. He and Pop were so good to me. They made me feel comfortable and loved right from the very beginning. Then when Mam died I just remember wanting my Dad so much. Pop was with me at the hospital and he called Dad at work and Dad came right away. When he got there I called him Dad for the first time. It just rolled right off my tongue. After that I never called him Niall again," Rory explained with a small smile on his face.

"What about Pop? When did that happen?" Finn asked, completely into the story. He can't remember Rory telling him any of this before. He can't believe he never asked.

"Oh that happened when Pop got his head bashed in by a stage light at 'The Voice'," Rory said, "We told you about that right? You were ten months old I think. Granny Anne stayed with you and me and Dad went to L.A. I fell apart on the plane because I kept thinking about when Mam died. Pop was my Dad just as much as Dad was, as far as I was concerned and the thought of losing him, of losing another parent had me really shaken up. I remember crying on him before he went in for surgery and calling him Dad but weeks later when he was recovering at the house in L.A. we discussed it and I couldn't call him Dad because that would be too confusing. Daddy was way too weird so he suggested Pop. Ever since then I've called him Pop."

"That's so amazing. I love hearing about all of you from before I was born or when I was just a baby. Sometimes I wonder what it was like when Dad and Pop were in their twenties and early thirties. What it was like when it was just the three of you? What it was like during the height of Pop's fame? Must have been pretty crazy with paparazzi," Finn said.

"That's an understatement. Probably a lot like what Ozzy experiences right now. You get used to it after awhile, learn to deal with it. Anyway, enough about that," Rory changed the subject, "I want to hear about you. How's the PT going?"

Finn sat up and smiled at his brother, "It's good, yeah. Apparently everything is right on schedule. I'm right where I should be in the rehabilitation. The pain isn't so bad anymore after sessions and it's non existent when I'm just walking around like normal. I'm not getting my hopes up about playing footie again but I'm cautiously optimistic."

"That's great, Finn. It's a good sign that everything is right on schedule. You haven't had any set backs, haven't had to get another surgery because you aggravated it. I really believe you'll be back on the pitch after Christmas. Keep working hard and do what your therapist tells you. Don't try and be a hero," Rory warned him.

"I won't. Don't worry," Finn rolled his eyes at his brother, "I found something positive to take away from this injury didn't I? I wouldn't be spending all this time with Jacob and Ozzy if I were playing footie so much. Knowing I have them makes the long wait a lot more bearable."

Rory grinned and stood up, collecting what was left of his apple from the table, "My little brother - the family man. Come on then, I've got something you can help me with since you're all in to being a daddy these days."

Ten minutes later, Finn found himself in the nursery with Rory, cursing him because his brother's idea of something Finn could help him with was putting together the furniture for the new baby that wasn't even going to be born for a few months.

  
~~~

  
Ozzy really enjoyed doing radio interviews. He's not really sure why. He just loves the atmosphere in a radio studio with the setup of mics and all the equipment. It kind of reminds him of being in a recording studio and he feels right at home in there.

He especially enjoyed doing interviews at one radio station in particular. It was at KIIS FM in L.A. and that's exactly where he was right now, completely exhausted from only three hours sleep, but it was worth it staying up to talk to Finn and he also didn't mind getting up so early since the host of the breakfast show on KIIS FM is a friend of his.

Ozzy met Brad when he first started in the music business. After he won 'The Voice' he and Harry did an interview together at KIIS FM with Brad and they hit it off right away. They met up again while at the same party a few weeks later and exchanged numbers and they've been friends ever since. He was definitely Ozzy's best friend in the industry besides Harry. They didn't get to hang out a lot since Ozzy lived in New York but they talked often on whatsapp and whenever Ozzy was in L.A. they always found time to hang out.

"Alright everybody! Good morning again. It's just after 7am and you were just listening to the very latest single from Ozzy Peters. Now let's welcome the man himself shall we? Hello Ozzy Peters!"

"Hello Bradley Hart. How are you this morning?" Ozzy said into the mic while smirking at Brad who was sitting directly across from him.

"Good. I'm very good actually. Now before we get started I'd like to let everyone know the webcam is indeed on so for anyone who wants to you can actually look at Ozzy while listening to him,"

Ozzy turned and made a funny face at the camera, knowing Jacob would love that if he saw the interview with Kara or Finn.

"Alright, so it's been a long time since I've seen you buddy. How's everything?" Brad asked.

"Yeah it's been quite a few months hasn't it? We didn't get time to hang out when I was here in August to shoot my music video. Everything's good though. Had lots of time off to record the album and now I'm getting back into the promo again."

"Is there an official release date for the album yet? Everyone can't wait to get their hands on it. The first single is burning up the charts. We all love it here. Play it constantly."

"Thank you, Brad. Thanks for the support. Um, yeah there is an official release date and my label has given me permission to tell you. It's November twenty-first," Ozzy said, breaking out into laughter when everyone in the studio started cheering and clapping.

"There you have it people! From the man himself! Mark your calendars, save your money, sell your first born child if you have to! Ozzy Peters new album drops November twenty-first. Available in stores, on I-tunes, Spotify, and probably a million other places," Brad laughs, "Alright now, Ozzy, you didn't record this album here and in New York like you did your debut album. You went to London for this one to work with Harry Styles-Horan. Your mentor on 'The Voice'. Now I know he worked a bit on your first album but not as much as on this one right? How was it? We're dying to know. Huge fans of Harry here."

"Yeah Harry is incredible. We became good friends while on the show and that friendship continued afterward. He's really been there for me every step of the way, giving me advice and always answering my calls even when it's the middle of the night for him. It was a no brainer to ask him to executive produce the album with me. I went to London because he obviously has a family to take care of and it was truly a wonderful experience for me. We got to write together a lot and just sit around sometimes messing around on the instruments when we needed a break. His husband is a really good musician so the three of us jammed together a few times. It was really good."

"You recorded at his house right?"

"Yeah for most of it. All the lyrics were recorded there and a lot of the music. I play a lot of my own instruments so it's me playing on most of the songs but we used a band when there were instruments involved that I don't play. Those parts were recorded elsewhere in London."

"And is there a bit of a different sound on this album? Your first single is very different than anything you've done in the past. More good old fashioned rock n' roll,"

"Yeah it's definitely different than my first album," Ozzy said, stopping to take a drink of coffee from his mug, "My first album was more pop/rock with an emphasis on the pop I think. This album is much more rock. A lot of great guitar and some longer tracks than what we're used to with pop music. I really love rock from the nineteen eighties when songs were six and seven minutes long because there was a long guitar solo in the middle. I love playing guitar and I wanted to show that off on this album. Another thing I kind of thought about when making the album was what I would have fun with on tour and these songs are going to be so fun to play on tour,"

"You'll be rocking out with the old electric guitar?"

"Oh definitely. I go a little crazy on stage. Get right into the music and the playing. It's incredible honestly,"

"Oh I know. I saw you on tour last tour. Very energetic, very electric. I can't wait for the next tour. I'll be there screaming my head off with everyone else," Brad said while laughing.

"Oh God. Are we going to have to get security to pull you down from the mosh pit?" Ozzy teased, turning to wink at the webcam.

"Don't you dare tempt me!" Brad pointed a finger at him while everyone in the studio, including Ozzy, broke out into laughter, "Anyway. We're going to play a song now. Anything you want to hear, Ozzy?"

"Ummmm," Ozzy thought for a minute, "Can we go back fifty something years?"

"We can do whatever you want. You're the guest!"

"Alright. Let's do some Bon Jovi. Livin' on a prayer. Classic."

"Brilliant choice. Here it is folks, Ozzy Peters pick, Bon Jovi Living on a Prayer on 102.7 KIIS FM"

The music comes on and the mics go off along with the webcam and Brad gets up to come over to talk to Ozzy, "It's going great, man. Twitter is freaking out."

Ozzy fist bumped and smiled, picking up his coffee for another long drink, "I'm having fun. Thanks for having me on. I've missed ya."

Brad laughed and lightly punched Ozzy on the arm, "Well I'd probably see you more if you hadn't up and moved to London."

Ozzy grinned and started twirling back and forth on his chair, "I'm not sorry,"

Brad rolled his eyes, "Of course not. You're all loved up. Speaking of...can we talk about Finn? Is that okay with you?"

"Of course. Just nothing too invasive or anything. You know what I mean," Ozzy replied.

"No worries about that. I'll probably ask you some twitter questions. The world is becoming pretty Fizzy crazed. I'll pick calm questions though, don't worry," Brad laughed then returned to his seat since the song was almost over.

"Annnnddddd we're back with Ozzy Peters everybody," Brad said into the mic when the song ended.

"Hello again," Ozzy looked at the webcam and waved at everyone watching.

"So Ozzy there's a ton of twitter questions coming in. I'm going to just randomly pick some and ask you as we go along. This first one is good. I've been wondering this myself. It says "Good morning, Brad. Can you ask Ozzy how he gets his hair so soft and fluffy looking like it is right now please?'"

Ozzy laughed and lifted a hand up to run through his dark hair. It was getting a bit longish right now and he found he kind of liked it. Finn definitely liked it judging by the way he grabs on to it while Ozzy is blowing him. That's probably not something he should be thinking about right now though, "Actually this hair right now is simply from me waking up this morning, grabbing a shower and then blow drying it for five minutes. It's just my natural hair. I didn't do anything to it."

"So no stylist today then?"

"Nope. She's with me of course, here in L.A. She travels with me but when I'm coming to a radio show at the ass crack of dawn I don't think I really need my hair done,"

"So what you're saying is I'm not important enough?" Brad asked, a fake look of hurt on his face.

Ozzy smirked, "If it means that much to you I can call her right now and wake her up to come do my hair live on air but you've got to deal with the repercussions of waking her up."

"Ummm no, I think we'll just move on now," Brad said while Ozzy and everyone else laughed, "So there's a question here about London. Wondering if you like it? You recently moved to London, obviously. Do you like it there? Have you adjusted? Do you still have your place in New York?"

"I do. I still have my house in New York. My sister and her kids are still there so I'll be visiting as often as possible. I'm going to keep that house for sure. New York is where I'm from, where I grew up, so I have no desire to leave it behind. It just makes more sense for me to be in London right now. I really love the city by the way. London is incredible and I'm enjoying getting to know the city by going out for walks with my son."

"You have a special someone in London don't you?" Brad asked with a smirk on his face.

"Yes. I do," Ozzy laughed at the look on Brad's face, "I think that's pretty obvious from my twitter and instagram."

"Oh yeah. Your Instagram has turned into the Finnegan Horan show. Your fans are absolutely going crazy. They adore this guy and they really know nothing about him yet. They've named you Fizzy and that trended worldwide so you're a really popular couple and really not hiding anything. I think your fans really love that about you. They fell in love with you on 'the voice' and they really seem excited to see you happy,"

"I'll tell you what," Ozzy started, a huge smile spreading across his face, "My fans are the best in the world. A lot of them have been there since my blind audition aired on 'The Voice' and they voted for me every week, supported me every week, and I ended up winning the show. Without that support I don't know where I'd be. There are so many talented musicians and singers in the world so it's so hard to get noticed by a record label. My fans have given me everything I have and I'm so grateful. I only hope I'm doing my part in giving back to them."

"Very well said. I think I can confirm that you're doing your part. The fans truly adore you," Brad said while continuing to scroll through Twitter, "Ummmm okay a lot of people are asking if Finn is here in L.A. with you?"

"He's not, sadly. He's back home in London. I talked to him earlier. It was morning over there and he was out doing some shopping while I was just getting ready to go to bed,"

"Is he listening or watching right now?"

"I don't know actually. He could be. Depends on what he's got going on. I know he's picking my son up from school today because the nanny is sick with the flu," Ozzy explained then turned to the webcam, "But if you are watching, hi baby!"

"Oh God," Brad put his head down on the desk and pretended to knock it on the hard surface a few times, "Everyone in this room literally just cooed. It's sickening."

Ozzy laughed and shrugged his shoulders, "You brought it up, Bradley."

"Yeah, Bradley. It's your own fault," Clara, one of the producers chimed in.

"You're all ganging up on me! Everyone in this room. I see you. I know where you work!" Brad shouted, pointing a finger, playfully, at everyone in the room.

"Actually..." Ozzy picked up his phone that was vibrating on the desk in front of him, "I just got a text from Finn. He is watching."

"Is he??" Brad's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, "Do you think he'd like to call and come on the air with us? Finnegan, darling, would you like to come on air with us?" Brad said in an English accent.

"Oh my God. That was the worst English accent I've ever heard," Ozzy busted out laughing and slammed his hand down on the desk a few times, "What was that? You sounded like - oh God I don't even know! Was that supposed to be posh?"

"Listen, back off Ozzy Peters. I'm from Napa Valley. That's the best you're getting," Brad said through his laughter, "It really was horrible wasn't it?"

"Yes. It really was," Ozzy shook his head while still chuckling, "Finn has texted saying he'd love to come on air with us, by the way."

"Alright then! Let's make it happen. Do you want to plug your phone in right there in front of you?" Brad pointed at a cord on the desk next to Ozzy, "Then give him a call and we'll be able to talk to him."

Ozzy did what he was told and soon the sound of a ringing phone filled the room and the airwaves, followed by Finn's deep voice saying "Hello,"

"Hello, Finnegan Horan!" Brad said excitedly, "It's Brad Hart from KIIS FM here in Los Angeles."

"I'm pretty sure he's aware of who you are, Brad. You literally just said Ozzy would be calling him thirty seconds ago," Clara said sarcastically into her mic.

Finn laughed and Ozzy couldn't help but smile. It had only been a few days but he missed his boyfriend so much.

"Hello, Brad," Finn spoke up before Brad and Clara could start playfully bickering, "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing good. I'm doing good," Brad answered, "First let me apologize right off the bat for just butchering the English accent. I don't know what that was that came out of my mouth."

"I don't know either, mate, but I'm pretty sure I at least don't talk like that," Finn said laughing.

"Yes, Brad. What you're hearing right now is what an actual English person sounds like," Clara said, making everyone laugh.

"I'd love to say you're picking on me extra hard this morning but as our listeners we'll know, this is an everyday thing. I get regularly abused by the women on this show," Brad said while ducking to keep from getting hit by a pen that was thrown at him, "There!! My point proven! Anyway, Finn, we have your boyfriend here all morning. We've been playing his song. What do you think about it? What was your first reaction?"

"I quite like the song. It's pretty brilliant. I don't really remember my first reaction to this song specifically. I listened to the whole album all in one go and I remember thinking I couldn't pick a favourite. Every single song is just so good. I'm not really surprised. I saw how hard Ozzy worked on it. I think his fans will be really pleased," Finn said, his voice sounding fond the whole time.

"Thank you, baby," Ozzy smiled at the webcam and blew a kiss, making Finn laugh over the phone.

"There we go everybody. High praise for the whole album right there. Obviously you're one of the few who has heard it, Finn," Brad says, "Anything you can tell us about it? Any sneak peeks?"

"Of course!" Finn says enthusiastically while Ozzy watches Brad's expression change to one of surprise. He probably was expecting Finn to simply laugh and give a generic response. To be honest, Ozzy doesn't know where the hell Finn is going with this himself, "I think the fans, yourself included Brad, will particularly enjoy the few polka songs Ozzy has towards the end of the album. They're top notch. I think he's even bringing a polka band on tour with him so he can do the songs justice live."

Ozzy can't identify the sound that just left his mouth, he just knows he's never made that noise before in his life and as he leans forward in his chair laughing so hard he feels like crying, he can say with complete certainty that he's not even ashamed for making the noise.

"Oh my God," Brad laughs into his mic, one hand on his forehead and his head propped up by his elbow on the desk, "I seriously thought we were getting a scoop. I didn't know whether to feel bad for you, Ozzy, that your boyfriend isn't media trained for this stuff or just gleeful that I was getting the scoop. Jokes on me I guess."

"You guess?" Clara says while still cackling into her mic.

"I think you forget who my father is, mate. I was born media trained," Finn says through his own laughter.

"I kinda want to attempt polka music now," Ozzy said, wiping his eyes with his fingers and still giggling a bit.

"Oh God," Finn said, "Please don't. Forget I ever said it, love."

"I'm loving the pet names, by the way. Baby, love, I feel like the whole country is collectively cooing right now," Brad said with a smirk on his face.

Ozzy playfully glares at him across the desk making Brad laugh and look into the webcam as if he was talking directly to Finn, "Okay Finn. I want the dirt on this man sitting across from me. Tell me all his secrets. Does he snore? Is he a slob? Is he a bad boyfriend? What? Give us something here!"

Finn chuckled and made a humming noise like he was thinking for a minute, "No he doesn't snore. He sleeps like the dead actually. Sometimes I actually check to make sure he's still breathing. He doesn't move or make any noises at all. Once he falls asleep you'll find him however many hours later in the exact same position."

"It's a good thing too, because you move around enough for the both of us!" Ozzy laughed and rolled his eyes, completely and utterly endeared with his boyfriend right now. He loved that they were on the radio just casually chatting like it was normal. He loved being able to share this part of his life with him and not have him be phased by it. His career not affecting their relationship meant that Ozzy could truly share every single part of him with the man he loved and that made him extremely happy.

"That's true," Finn admitted easily, "My parents always say when I was a kid and I'd climb into their bed at night they'd wake up with bruises from me kicking them. I don't think I'm that bad anymore, though, am I?"

"Nah," Ozzy says, "I don't wake up with bruises. Not from that at least."

Finn immediately started cackling on the phone while Brad threw his hands up in the air and half stood out of his seat while staring wide eyed at Ozzy, "Whoa, whoa! Keep it PG 13 please! Some of us in this room don't have a million dollars and would like to keep our jobs."

"Sorry, sorry!" Finn apologized, even though he wasn't even the one who said anything, "What were you asking me before? Oh right!" Finn gets the conversation back on track while Ozzy continues to laugh into his hand, "Is Ozzy a slob? No, he's very neat. Is he a bad boyfriend? No, he's a very good boyfriend. Caring, attentive, fun, thoughtful. He's as close to perfect as a person can get I think."

"Right back at ya, babe," Ozzy smiled fondly into the camera so Finn could see him.

Everyone in the room was cooing at that, even Brad, who had a look in his eye that told him he'd be getting mercilessly teased when they hung out later. Ozzy didn't mind though. He'd take it with a smile on his face.

"Well as much as I'd like this to continue we do have to play a song now. Thanks for coming on with us, Finn. It was a pleasure having you on and getting a little peek into the Fizzy relationship. Twitter is going crazy,"

"I was happy to be on, Brad. Thank you," Finn said graciously, always so polite like Harry.

"We're going to play some Harry Styles-Horan in honour of you, Finn. Any requests?" Brad asked.

"I love all my Pop's music. Surprise me,"

"Alright, thanks again Finn," Brad chuckled, "Here's a throw back to before you were even born. It's 'Sign of the Times' right here on KIIS FM."

Ozzy took off his headphones as soon as they were off and unplugged his phone so he could bring it to his ear, "That was fun."

"It was! I just briefly looked at my screen. I'm getting texts from friends left and right. It's crazy how fast people find out about stuff," Finn said, laughing.

"I love you," Ozzy said quietly into the phone, a small smile on his face, "Can't wait to see you in New York next Saturday."

"I love you, too, Pet. You're absolutely amazing by the way. I could listen to you do interviews all day. Everything's going well?"

"It is, yeah. It's fun, actually. I don't mind doing promo," Ozzy admitted.

"Well I'm going to let you get back to it then. I've got to leave now to pick up Jacob anyway. We'll see you on Skype at six?" Finn asked.

"Absolutely. Going right back to the hotel after I'm done here. I'll see you then, baby. Kiss my little bear for me please. I miss him so much!"

"I will. He misses you, too, and I know he can't wait to chat with you. Bye, love!"

Ozzy said his goodbyes and hung up the phone, putting on his headphones so he'd be ready to continue the interview once Harry's song ended. Brad gave him a wink and a thumbs up from the other side of the desk and Ozzy smiled back at him, giving him the thumbs up back.

With Finn on his mind he never stopped smiling once for the rest of the show.

 

~~~

 

Harry had been feeling a lot of different emotions lately, mainly fear since Niall had been having those bad headaches that he's having and without even realizing it he's ended up with a full leather bound diary filled with notes and song lyrics. It's surprising to him because he didn't even realize he was close to the last page in the book but at the same time it's not surprising because writing is how he expresses himself. It's therapeutic to him and a way for him to escape the constant worry he's feeling about what could be going on with his husband.

He's so engrossed in his writing, already starting a second book, that he doesn't notice Niall come into the room until he comes around the desk and puts a hand on his shoulder. When Harry looks up, Niall smiles down at him and gently pushes the desk chair back far enough so that he can sit down on Harry's lap. Harry smiles and buries his nose in Niall's neck, taking in the smell of his skin.

"You've been writing a lot lately," Niall spoke quietly, his lips brushing Harry's temple softly, "Could there be a new album on the horizon maybe?"

Harry chuckled and rubbed his cheek against Niall's soft t-shirt, "I don't know. I haven't thought about it. My focus is the X-Factor right now and our family. That's all I want right now."

Niall hummed and slowly ran his fingers through Harry's hair, "Do you mind if I read some of your lyrics later?"

"Course not. You're always welcome to read anything I write. You're the only one I share everything with." Harry said, lifting his head so he could press his lips to Niall's in a tender kiss.

"I'm honoured," Niall said against Harry's lips then he deepened the kiss a bit, kissing Harry slow and languid for a few minutes before pulling back and looking around the room, "Where's Ryanne? She wasn't in the nursery. I looked in when I woke up."

"Oh! Right. Gemma came by early this morning and picked her up. She was whining last night about wanting a day with Ryanne so I told her to come pick her up this morning. You were asleep so I didn't get to tell you. She asked if she could take her to get her ears pierced. I told her I'd text her when I spoke to you about it."

"Yeah that's alright with me. We got Nori and Kate's ears done when they were babies," Niall said, shrugging his shoulders, "I know you're dying to get her earrings to match every outfit she owns and she's not even quite six months old yet."

Harry rolled his eyes and slapped Niall's thigh playfully, "You say that like you're not the one cooing and taking a million pictures and videos when I've got her dressed to impress."

Niall giggles and pulls Harry into another kiss. They're both giggling too much for it to go anywhere but Harry doesn't mind. He's just happy to have Niall in his arms. Holding him, kissing him, feeling the way their bodies still fit so seamlessly together.

"Oh! Before I forget," Harry pulls back from the kiss so he can speak, "I was talking to Finn last night as well. He's going to New York next weekend to support Ozzy on SNL. He asked if he could take Nori and Kate with him. He's holding off on telling them until we give him an answer on whether or not he can bring them."

Niall hummed and looked thoughtful for a minute, "I think it would be fun for them. Spending time with their big brother, watching SNL, being in NYC. It's a long flight so they'd probably miss a day or two of school. If they left Friday and came back late on Sunday or on Monday. I'd be okay with that as long as they got the work they'll miss from their teachers and don't fall behind. I'd also feel better of Dylan went along or if someone from Ozzy's security team kept an eye on them. Ozzy is huge worldwide and I know exactly how paps and some fans can be all too well. I don't want them to get mobbed."

Harry leaned forward and hid his smile against Niall's shoulder. He loved how Niall always calmly thought things over, the pros and cons, then made a decision based on that. He loved how he was protective of their kids but not overbearing. He was always willing to let them go out and have fun, explore the world, as long as they were safe, "I agree with everything you just said. Of course Finn can look after his sisters but in a situation where there's paps everywhere it makes sense to have security. Finn can ask Ozzy about it. He'll have his team with him, including security."

"Okay. We'll call Finn later to discuss it. If he has time. He's quite busy being a Dad these days," Niall says with a grin, "I swear to God it's so cute how he's looking after Jacob while Ozzy is away. He's really stepping up since Kara caught that bad flu. I wouldn't be surprised if Ozzy asked Finn to move in with him when he gets back from this promo tour. They're getting quite serious."

"Yeah. They are," Harry smiled at the thought of Finn and Ozzy together, "I'm really happy for them. I can't believe I ever had a problem with it. They're perfect for each other. I'll admit I miss having Finn here at home a lot but he's happy and he's with people who love him when he's not here. I can't complain about that."

Niall hummed and kissed the top of Harry's head while Harry used his foot to move the chair around, slowly turning them from side to side for awhile until Niall's stomach grumbled and they both laughed.

"You slept well past ten this morning. You must be hungry, baby. Want me to make you something to eat? Pancakes? We'll have a lazy day today since Ryanne isn't here," Harry said.

Niall got up from Harry's lap and stretched his arms over his head, exposing a sliver of his stomach under his t-shirt. Harry wanted to reach out and pull Niall up against him, getting his hands up under that t-shirt and on his soft, pale skin. Perhaps their lazy day can be a lazy day in bed?

Harry follows Niall from the office to the kitchen, the two of them laughing and joking around like they always do. Niall begins to make himself a cup of coffee while Harry starts gathering the things he needs to make pancakes. They're both silently working around each other when they hear the front door open and close and their eldest son calling out to them.

"Hey," Rory appeared in the kitchen doorway with an easy smile on his face, "Are you only making breakfast now? It's almost time for lunch!"

"I'm making pancakes for your Dad. He just woke up not too long ago," Harry answered, smiling over his shoulder at Rory.

Rory hummed and walked further into the kitchen, sitting himself down at the breakfast bar and folding his arms over his chest, "Which one of you is going to tell me the truth then?"

Harry lifts his head and his eyes meet Niall's, the both of them giving each other a shrug and a confused look, "What truth? He really did only just wake up."

Rory sighed and leaned forward with his forearms on the counter, "I'm thirty-seven years old. I have three kids, another one on the way, and a wife. I think I'm old enough for you to be straight with me. Cut the bullshit, yeah? Dad just went back to work after paternity leave and now he's suddenly decided to use a bunch of sick days he has built up? And he's sleeping half the day away while he's at it? What's going on?"

Harry sighed and stopped mixing the batter for the pancakes, pushing the bowl away from himself so he can turn around to face Rory while leaning against the counter. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Niall doing the same thing, his coffee mug nestled in between both his hands.

"Alright," Niall nodded, a serious look on his face, "I'll explain but there's not much to explain yet. I've been having bad headaches for a few weeks. I saw our doctor and he ordered a full panel of blood tests. We're just waiting for the results now. I took some time off work because I wasn't really doing anything because of the headaches and my assistant practically kicked me out."

"Headaches?" Rory questioned, a look of confusion taking over his face.

"Yes. Headaches. Headaches that paracetamol don't help. It's annoying, yes, but I don't think it's anything serious. It is something though so I'm having these tests to find out what it is so I can get it fixed and move on," Niall explained, "It really could be one of like a million things so your Pop and I didn't want to say anything to anyone and worry you unnecessarily. Your Pop is doing enough worrying for all of us."

"Okay well I'm an adult and I'm pretty level headed so I'd appreciate it if you kept me in the loop about this from now on. I agree it's probably nothing too serious. You look and seem fine, Dad. It never hurts to get checked out though. Even just to hear that you've got a clean bill of health," Rory said, the easy smile coming back onto his face. Harry envied their son's ability to remain so calm like that. He certainly couldn't. Especially when it came to Niall.

"Excuse me!" Harry says after a minute, "Are you implying I'm not level headed?"

Rory and Niall both snorted out a laugh, the two of them looking and sounding almost identical, "When it comes to certain situations that's exactly what I'm saying, Pop."

"Oh I see how it is," Harry stuck his nose up in the air and faked being mad, "If your Dad wasn't so hungry I'd dump this batter all over your head."

Niall laughed loudly and walked over to stand next to Rory at the breakfast bar, "Do you want to eat with me if I can keep Harry from dumping my food on you?"

"Nah," Rory chuckled and stood up, "I ate earlier. I'll have tea though. I'm just going to run out to my car for a minute. I forgot my phone."

"Okay. I'll put the kettle on for you," Niall told Rory and Rory thanked him before heading back out to his car.

Harry turned back to stirring the batter in the bowl for Niall's pancakes, softly humming a tune under his breath. It was definitely something he needed to record on his phone later. It could be a future song for him or someone else.

He's so lost in thought that he nearly jumps out of his skin when he hears a crash behind him. The spoon that he was using goes crashing down onto the counter splattering batter everywhere and the bowl tips over onto its side, the mixed ingredients slowly running out and onto the counter then down over the cupboards and all over the floor.

None of that mattered though because when he turned around to see what was going on he found his husband on the floor, his coffee mug shattered into pieces across the tiled floor and black coffee in a puddle next to him while he shook violently, seemingly having no control over his body.

"NIALL!!!!" Harry screamed and ran over to his husband, completely ignoring the sharp pieces of mug that was digging into his feet. He dropped to his knees in the still warm coffee and held his husband by the shoulders, trying to stop his body from shaking, "NIALL!! Can you hear me, love? What's happening??" There was no answer of course. Harry wasn't even sure if his husband was conscious. His eyes were closed, "Oh God, oh God. RORY!!!! RORY!!!"

"Pop?? Pop why are you- oh my God!" Rory ran into the room and fell down onto the floor on his knees on the other side of Niall, "What happened??"

"I don't know!!!" Harry screamed, panic setting in and tears starting to form in his eyes and fall down his cheeks, "I heard a loud crash and when I turned around he- he was on the floor like this. Oh God, Rory. Rory..."

"It's okay, Pop. Just stay with Dad. I'm calling an ambulance," Rory said, standing up quickly and dialling emergency on his phone. Harry could hear him talking to the operator, could hear him telling them what happened, but he couldn't take his eyes off his husband, shaking on the floor, his face pale and his gorgeous blue eyes hidden behind his closed eyelids, "The ambulance is coming, Pop. They'll be here soon. I think he's having a seizure."

Harry watched as his son balled up the hoodie he was wearing and shoved it under Niall's head then he reached around Harry and held Niall by the shoulders, "What do you mean a seizure? What are you doing??"

"I'm making sure he doesn't get hurt until the seizure stops. I've seen seizures before. They usually only last between thirty seconds and two minutes," Rory said calmly, his eyes not leaving Niall's face.

"But- but what? Why is he having a seizure? Will he be okay? Will he wake up?" Harry asked frantically and he gripped Niall's hand for dear life.

"I don't know, Pop. Maybe it has to do with the headaches he's been having. The ambulance is coming and we're going to get him to the hospital and figure this out," Rory said, still calm as ever, "See? The seizure is stopping now. Talk to him. See if he comes around."

Harry scrambled to do what Rory said, kneeling over Niall and holding his face in his hands, gently brushing his cheeks with his thumbs, "Niall? Baby, can you hear me? Please open your eyes love," Harry could hear his voice break and took a deep breath to try to control himself. He was so fucking terrified right now but he didn't want Niall to wake up and see that. He needed to be strong for his husband just like Niall would be strong for him, "It's Harry, baby. Rory is here too. Open those baby blues for me, yeah? Wanna see those gorgeous eyes."

Niall twitched slightly and let out a low groan that sent Harry's heart up into his throat. Sirens could be heard in the distance and Rory jumped up, saying he was going to go out and meet them and open the gate to the driveway. Harry doesn't know if he responded or not. He couldn't take his eyes off his husband, his beautiful better half, the love of his life. "Niall? Can you hear me sweetheart? Open your eyes, baby."

Niall groaned again and his eyes began to flutter a little and Harry held his breath, waiting, just waiting to see those blue eyes again. He'd give anything to see them again. "H- Harry?" Niall said softly, his eyes finally opening a fraction, "Harry?"

Harry fought back a sob and leaned down to kiss Niall's forehead and then his lips quickly, "Yes! I'm here baby. Can you keep your eyes open for me? Can you look at me?"

Niall furrowed his brow and turned his head slightly, opening his eyes wider to look at Harry, "Course I can look at you. What are you going on about?"

Niall moved like he was about to try and get up but Harry held him down and told him to stay still, "Don't try to get up, okay? Do you remember what happened?"

Niall looked around a bit and frowned up at Harry, "Am I on the floor? What happened? My head is killing me."

"Shhh. It's okay love. We think you had a seizure. You were fine one minute then the next you were on the floor convulsing. Rory knew what to do. Our boy is so good, Niall. You'd be so proud of him. He was so calm. The ambulance is coming now. We're going to get you checked out, okay?" Harry tried to sound as soothing as he could but he was so scared right now he didn't know if he was succeeding or not.

"Harry. No. What? An ambulance? I don't need an ambulance. I'm fine," Niall tried to argue but his voice sounded weak and he wasn't putting up much of a fight when he kept trying to sit up.

"Niall," Harry said sternly, "You fell onto the floor and you were having convulsions for over a minute. Please don't argue with me. You're going to the hospital. Please. For me. Do this for me."

Niall stared up at Harry for a minute then reached up to cup his cheek with his hand, "Okay, darlin'. Whatever you want. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize you silly man," Harry choked out a laugh and brought his forehead to rest against Niall's, "You're not well but we're going to find out what's wrong and we're going to fix it. You just stay calm and let us all take care of you okay?"

Niall nodded then the sound of footsteps coming through the house had Harry moving back and he was met with Rory coming in with two paramedics.

"Hi, Dad," Rory smiled down at Niall, "I'm glad you're awake. These guys are here to help you, okay? Don't give them any trouble."

Niall managed a tired grin and a thumbs up to Rory then Harry reluctantly got out of the way so the two paramedics could do their job. He watched on anxiously while they flashed a light in Niall's eyes and checked his blood pressure and heart rate. They asked him some questions about how he was currently feeling then they strapped him onto the board to carry him out to the ambulance.

"Which one of you is riding with us?" The younger paramedic asked. He was probably around thirty with a kind face.

"I'm his husband," Harry blurred out, "I want to be with him. I'm not leaving him."

"That's quite alright sir. You can absolutely come with us. Just follow us out to the vehicle okay?"

"You go on, Pop. I'll be right behind you in my car. Where's Ryanne? Is she upstairs?" Rory asked.

"No," Harry shook his head, "She's with Gemma."

"Okay good. You just go with Dad, okay? I'll be right behind you. I'll take care of everything else. Just go with Dad," Rory said, pulling him into a quick hug.

"Okay. Okay," Harry said, feeling numb. He felt like he wasn't in his own body anymore. It all felt so strange.

"Are you coming, Sir?" The paramedic turned around to ask when Harry wasn't following behind.

Harry swallowed and nodded, somehow he managed to move his feet and follow them out, stopping to shove on a pair of boots that he didn't even know if they were his or not. He climbed into the back of the ambulance and took a seat where he was told, grabbing on to Niall's hand and looking into his groggy eyes thinking "Please God don't let this be the end. Please."

 


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, wow, wow! The response to the last chapter was incredible! I've been going through a bit of a hard time personally and this actually helped lift my spirits. It's so awesome to see other people as invested in this as I am. I love you guys!
> 
> There's a bit of medical talk in this chapter. I'm obviously not a doctor and the only medical stuff I know is what I see on tv so if some of what I've made up doesn't make sense, just go with the flow since it's fiction anyway lol
> 
> I apologize for any spelling errors. I suck at catching them in my own work. I don't know why. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter anyway and let me know in the comments what you think. You can also talk to me on twitter @niallison23

 

 

Harry was going to jump out of his skin. Sitting around and waiting for information was not something he was good at - not when that someone was Niall. The love of his life was somewhere in this hospital with doctor's getting tests and Harry wasn't allowed to go with him. He was told to wait in the waiting area and a doctor would come talk to him as soon as there was any news.

"Pop?" That was Finn's voice. Rory had called him to let him know what was going on. He called Gemma as well so she could keep looking after Ryanne and pick Charlie and Matty up from school. Harry remembers Rory saying all this to him but it's like a fuzzy memory. Like something that happened distantly or something. "Pop? Please look at me. You're hurting yourself."

Harry lifted his head to look at Finn and Finn reached out to take his hands, uncurling his fingers from where he had his hands balled into fists. His nails had cut into the skin on the palms of his hands and he was bleeding, "Oh. I- I didn't realize."

Finn looked at him, his eyes full of worry and his skin more pale than usual. Harry wanted to reach out to him and tell him everything was going to be okay but he couldn't. He was too numb. Too out of touch with everything. This all felt like a dream he couldn't wake up from.

"I'll get some paper towels from the bathroom to clean up the blood," Finn said quietly as he stood up from his seat.

"I'll do that, Finn. How about you go get Nori and Kate from school? I honestly don't know if paps saw the ambulance at the house or if staff here will talk so I called the school to let them know what's going on and that Nori and Kate need to leave. I don't want them finding out about Dad from other students or something. Do you think you can handle explaining to them what's going on?" Rory asked Finn, his hands resting on Finn's shoulders.

"Of course I can. I'll take care of them. Just - take care of Pop, yeah?" Finn said quietly.

"I will," Rory pulled Finn into a hug and kissed his cheek, "It'll be okay."

Finn left after one more worried look at Harry, then Rory sat down next to him after getting some damp paper towels from the bathroom to clean the blood from his hands, "Pop," Rory sighed softly as he wiped the blood away, "Can you look at me for a second please?"

Harry turned to look at his son, his right leg steadily bouncing because he was so anxious and nervous, "You don't have to wipe my hands for me. I can do it."

"I know that, Pop. I just need to talk to you for a minute and I need to know you're listening. You've been pretty spaced out since we got here," Rory explains.

Harry just stares at Rory not knowing what to say. None of this is feeling real right now. It was just a month ago he and Niall were in Suffolk having a romantic getaway. They were happy and in love without a care in the world. Now all he can see is his husband convulsing on the floor. He can still feel the dampness on the knees of his jeans where coffee seeped through as he knelt next to Niall on the floor.

"Pop listen to me," Rory discarded the paper towel and turned his body toward Harry's, holding his hands gently, "I know you so well. You've been one of the most important people in my life since I was fifteen. You and Dad got me through some really bad times and now I'm going to be there for you but you have to do something for me okay?"

Harry nodded and squeezed Rory's hands gently, "You know I'd do anything for you."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Rory grinned, "Because I need you to be strong now okay. I know how your mind works and I know you're upset right now, thinking the worst, but you can't do that. We don't know what's going on with Dad yet. It might be something easily fixed or managed. You can't get caught up in all the bad things it could be. Finn will be back with the girls soon. They'll be worried and scared. They need you to reassure them and be strong. I know it's hard but just do it for them and for Dad, then if you need to fall apart, if you need to kick and scream and curse, I'll be there for you. No matter what. Let's just keep it together for the kids, okay? You know Dad is going to be worried sick about them."

Harry nodded his head vigorously and wiped his hands over his face. He could feel tears pooling in his eyes and quickly wiped them away and took two long, deep breaths, "You're right. You're absolutely right. I can't let my babies see me this way. They'll look to me to see how I'm doing just like people on a plane always look at the air hostess when there's turbulence, trying to see if they're worried. I need to be strong for them. I should start by cleaning myself up a bit. I'll go wash my face. I wish I had some clean clothes to change into. I-"

"That's all covered, Pop. I texted Anna. She left work and she stopping at the house to get you some clothes. She'll be here any minute," Rory confirmed.

Harry bit down on his trembling bottom lip as he struggled not to cry, "Thank you," He whispered, "For being so level headed through all this and for making me see I need to be strong for my children and for Niall right now. You're a remarkable son, Rory. I love you so much. Anna too."

Rory pulled him into a tight hug and Harry buried his face in his neck, "I love you, too, Pop. More than I could ever show you. I know this is tough for you. If it were Anna here in this hospital somewhere getting tests I'd be frantic and you and Dad would have to keep me from going insane. It's okay to lean on me, okay? I'm here and we're going to get through this. Whatever _this_ is - we'll get through it."

Harry nodded against Rory's shoulder and the two of them stayed there that way until Anna showed up and put a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry pulled back from Rory and hugged his daughter in law, thanking her for the clothes before excusing himself to go to the bathroom to change.

When he got in there he locked the door and took a deep breath, looking at himself in the mirror. He looked a wreck. He had to change that a bit before his kids showed up and before he got to see Niall. He could hear his husband admonishing him now and couldn't help but snort out a laugh. Niall didn't like people making a fuss over him. He was a low key, simple guy and that was what Harry loved about him. He prayed now that when he got to see him he'd be well enough to give him hell for worrying. Harry would listen to Niall lecture him everyday for the next fifty years if it meant he'd be okay.

Sighing, he quickly changed into the fresh clothes Anna brought him and told himself to remember to get that girl something nice for remembering to bring his hair brush so he could fix his hair. The birds nest look made him look a bit wild and manic. Not how he wanted to look in front of his kids. He was happy now that Rory asked if there was somewhere private they could wait. Someone recognizing him or Rory right now and taking pictures would be horrible. Harry didn't want their family stuff on the front page of trashy magazines.

After he finished changing and brushing his hair, he packed his stuff into his bag then turned on the water to wash his face. The cool water was very refreshing and he also wet some paper towels to hold against his eyes for a bit to try and reduce the swelling from his crying earlier. He was in there for about twenty minutes and by the time he got out he was only in his seat talking to Rory and Anna for two minutes before Finn walked in with Nori and Kate.

"Pop!" Kate rushed over to him and threw herself in his arms, Nori right behind her. He pulled them both down onto his lap, not caring that they weren't two years old anymore and held them tight, kissing both their cheeks repeatedly and whispering encouraging words and telling them he loves them.

"Have you seen Dad yet? Finn explained what happened," Nori said, her breath warm against Harry's neck.

"We haven't seen him yet but that's okay," Harry tells his daughter's even though for him it really, really wasn't okay, "The doctor's are running tests so we can find out what's going on. Once they do they can figure out how to fix it. That's what we need right now but we'll get to see him soon and he'll be so happy his two beauties are here."

"Pop, I know me and Finn are gorgeous but try to spare the girls feelings will ya?" Rory says, going overboard with the exaggeration.

"Oh Jesus!" Finn guffawed, his eyes opening wide as he stares incredulously at Rory and laughs.

Nori lifted her head off Harry's shoulder and rolled her eyes at her brother fondly, "Oh fuck off, Rory."

"Hey!" Harry looked down at his daughter disapprovingly, "Watch your mouth, Nori Anne."

Now it was Kate's turn to roll her eyes and shake her head at Harry, "You do realize when you're not around Dad doesn't even flinch if we curse right? He lets us embrace our Irishness."

"Oh does he now?" Harry looked at his daughter with raised eyebrows, "What else does he let you do when I'm not around?"

"Ohhhh you know...we knock back the Guinness then get up on the roof of the house and jump into the pool. Nor throws wild parties if you're out of town. Dad's the DJ. Fun times," Kate says, her voice nonchalant and a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah. Back when it was just me, before Finn was born, you'd be on tour and Dad would take me to the strip clubs. We used to go to the ones with both men and women so he'd have something to look at and I'd have something to look at," Rory said matter of fact.

"Must be the same clubs he took me to," Finn added, his lip twitching from trying not to laugh.

"You're all ridiculous!" Harry couldn't help but laugh himself. His children were everything. Cracking jokes to lighten the mood, keeping each other calm while they waited for news, "Your Dad wouldn't do any of that! Well...the cursing thing I believe but everything else no!"

Everyone laughed, including Anna who was being kept apprised of what was happening by Rory doing sign language. It was nice. It was good having his family here surrounding him, keeping him positive. He really needed it.

"You know..." Nori spoke up once everyone had gone quiet, "...there's a girl in some of my classes at school who has seizures sometimes. She wears a bracelet with her medical info on it. She has epilepsy and still lives a completely normal life. Maybe...maybe the same thing is going on with Daddy. It doesn't have to be something really bad."

"You're absolutely right, Nori," Rory agreed, nodding his head, "I saw Dad before the ambulance brought him here. He was awake and alert. There's no need for us to let our minds wander to bad things. We'll just take this one step at a time."

They all nodded and agreed with Rory. Harry actually felt a little better about everything. He never thought about something like Epilepsy. Sure nobody wants to have it but it's something that can be managed as opposed to something that will kill Niall in the next few months. Harry would gladly take epilepsy and he knows Niall would too if given the choice.

Not too much later a doctor came into the room and Harry scrambled to stand up, Nori and Kate quickly getting off his lap. He wrapped his arms around their shoulders and pulled them into his sides while they waited for the doctor to speak.

"Hello," The doctor smiled warmly at them, "I'm Dr. Stacey. You're all the family of Niall Horan right?"

"Yes," Harry spoke softly, "I'm his husband. You can call me Harry. These are our children and our daughter in law."

Dr. Stacey nodded at all of them and shook hands with Rory and Finn, "Well Harry, your husband has been in my care since he was brought into A&E. I ran some blood work and sent him for some scans. We'll have the results of those shortly. For now I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know he's back in his room. You can see him but just one at a time for now. He was sedated and isn't awake yet. He'll be groggy when he first wakes up so it's best not to have a lot of people talking to him at once until he's fully coherent."

"Why was he sedated? Did he have another seizure? Did something happen?" Harry asked, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.

"No," The doctor chuckled and shook her head, "He's quite well actually. When he realized he was getting an MRI he informed me he most certainly was _not_ getting an MRI unless I gave him good drugs because he's very claustrophobic. He said if I tried he'd, and I quote, shove his foot up my arse."

"Oh my God!" Harry's mouth dropped open as he looked at the doctor horrified. Rory, Finn and the girls were all laughing of course, "I am _so_ sorry, Doctor. He's really claustrophobic and gets really terrified in small spaces. I can't believe he said that though."

"Harry," The doctor held up her hand to stop him, "It's quite alright. Your husband is a lovely man. Very funny. He had us all laughing constantly. I think a couple of nurses might even have a bit of a crush."

Harry smiled wide and laughed with everyone else, "That sounds like my Niall. Can I go see him now?"

"Of course. I'll take you to him. He should be waking up any second. If the rest of the family would like to wait here you can all go in shortly. Let's just give him a bit of time to get acclimated and let the drugs wear off," The doctor said.

"That's fine. We'll take a run downstairs to the Starbucks across the street. Can our Dad have anything?" Rory asked the Doctor.

"Probably not coffee right now but anything else is fine," The doctor said with a smile on her face, "If you'll follow me, Harry."

Harry quickly hugged his kids and Anna then followed the doctor down a set of corridors until they were back in A&E. When they reached the door to Niall's room she opened it wide and let Harry walk in first. Niall was laying in bed looking like he was starting to stir a bit and a nurse was there making notes on a tablet.

"Harry this is Amanda. She's one of our nurses here. Amanda, this is Mr. Horan's husband, Harry," Dr. Stacey introduced them.

"Hello there. Pleased to meet you," Amanda said, shaking Harry's hand, "Your husband is just starting to wake up from the sedative. You can sit with him and talk to him. Coax him out of it a bit."

"Thank you. So much," Harry thanked them both then sat down in a chair next to Niall's bed while the two women left and closed the door behind them. He took Niall's hand in his and leaned forward to softly kiss his pink lips, "Niall? It's Harry. Can you wake up for me?"

Niall moved his head from side to side on the pillow, stopping when he was facing Harry. His eyes blinked open and a slow smile spread over his face, "Well hello darlin'."

"Hello," Harry giggled and leaned in to kiss Niall again. He couldn't help it. No matter how many years they're together he just can't get enough of kissing his husband, "How are you feeling?"

"'M good. Bit sleepy," Niall said, the smile still on his face.

"Well that's to be expected. You were drugged after you threatened to shove your foot up the doctor's arse," Harry reminded him with a smirk on his face.

"I did!!!" Niall's eyes widened as he remembered and he threw his head back, cackling loudly.

"Niall!! Shhhh," Harry laughed, putting a hand over Niall's mouth to try and quiet him down, "Be quiet. This is a hospital."

Niall licked Harry's hand which only made Harry laugh harder and remove his hand from Niall's mouth which of course made Niall's cackling louder again. They were going to end up thrown out of this hospital in a minute if they didn't shut up.

"Sorry. Sorry!" Niall gasped when he stopped laughing, "I was just remembering the look on the doctor's face. I think she was amused in the end though."

"She was," Harry confirmed, "Apparently every doctor and nurse you've come into contact with loves you. You're a hit around here."

Niall smiled and linked his fingers with Harry's, his eyes still a bit droopy from the sedative, "Let's talk about you, darlin'. How are you?"

"I'm okay," Harry brushed Niall's hair off his forehead with his free hand then cupped his cheek.

"I know you're not," Niall says, his piercing blue eyes searching Harry's face, "You can talk to me you know?"

"I know," Harry swallowed hard and nodded, "I really am okay. I wasn't at first. I was terrified. Seeing you on the floor like that...I never want to see anything like that ever again. Rory talked some sense into me though. Got me to see I needed to keep it together for the kids. We really don't know what's going on yet. If there's crazy thoughts going around in my head then they're probably going around in our kids heads as well. I need to be strong so I can be there for them. They're all here by the way. They'll be in to see you soon. Well the twins and Ryanne aren't here. They're with Gemma. Everyone else is here though, and they understand what's going on."

"You didn't get the girls out of school for me did you? I'm fine!" Niall said incredulously.

"Niall," Harry looked at him sternly, "You had a seizure on our kitchen floor and an ambulance came to our house. Did you really want me to leave them in school knowing neighbours or paps could have seen and taken pictures? Did you want me to let them find out from the internet or other kids at school?"

Niall's body deflated slightly and he sunk back into his pillows, sighing, "No. Of course not. I just hate any kind of fuss. I hate worrying them."

Harry brushed his thumb over Niall's cheek in slow circles and smiled softly at him, "I know baby. That's what happens when you're the most amazing father and husband in the world. You're the love of my life and to our kids you're their superman, their everything. They adore you so much. They want to be here supporting you no matter what. You could have a paper cut and they'd be here supporting you."

Niall laughed and nestled his cheek against Harry's hand, "I love all of you so much it hurts. All seven of my babies have my heart. No matter how old they are. Thirty-seven all the way down to six months. As for you...you're the love of my life too. My everything."

Harry grinned and laid his head down on Niall's chest, listening to his strong, steady heart beat. Neither one of them spoke for awhile. Niall ran his fingers through Harry's hair and they simply enjoyed being together, the silence in the room a comfortable one.

"How come the kids didn't come in with you?" Niall asked eventually, his voice still sounding tired.

Harry lifted his head off Niall's chest and pushed himself up into a sitting position again, "The doctor didn't want everyone in here while you were waking up from the sedative. Didn't want to overwhelm you. Are you ready to see them now?"

"I'm always ready to see my babies. Go on and get them," Niall said, a big grin on his face.

"I'll text Rory. Thankfully Anna thought to get my phone at the house when she stopped by to get me a change of clothes," Harry said, digging his phone out of his back pocket and pulling up his texts. He sent a text to Rory letting him know the room number where they were, then put his phone back in his pocket and kissed Niall slowly for a minute, savouring the feel and taste of him until the next time he got to kiss him.

"Tryin' to get me all worked up in the hospital are ya?" Niall joked, licking his lips when Harry pulled back.

"Just love you so much. Wanted one more kiss before our kids take over the room," Harry said softly, a small smile on his lips.

"Love you, too, darlin'. We'll let them visit for awhile then we'll kick 'em out and snog like teenagers. Scandalize the nurses and everything," Niall laughed, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

Harry laughed his loud, shrieky laugh that Niall adored so much and that only made him laugh even harder so that when the door opened and the kids walked in, Harry and Niall were doubled over laughing with red faces and watery eyes.

"Well this is definitely a good sight to see!" Rory said as he led the way into the room, a big grin on his face.

"Hi, Daddy," Nori went straight to Niall and into his open arms, Kate right beside her, "What are you laughing at? Are you feeling better?"

"I'm feeling so much better, Little Lovey. I'm so happy to see you and my little Sunshine. Love you both so much," Niall hugged them tight and kissed their cheeks.

"We love you too, Daddy. We were worried about you but you don't look any different. You don't look sick," Kate mumbled against his chest.

"Well I don't feel sick either, Sunshine. Probably whatever happened isn't anything serious. We'll wait and see what the doctor says, yeah?" Niall told them, an adoring look on his face as he continues to leave kisses on their cheeks and foreheads and run his hands through their hair.

"I'm really glad to see you looking well, Dad," Finn said, the worry that was in his eyes earlier seeming to have dissipated a bit.

"Thank you. I'm happy to see you, Bub. Come 'ere," Niall held an arm out and Nori and Kate stepped back and into Harry's arms so Niall could hug Finn, "I've missed you lately but I'm so proud of you. I've become a Fizzy stan on twitter lately. I get on your Pop's account and see all the pap pics of you around town with Jacob. I like 'em all by the way," Niall stops to laugh, "Seriously I'm so proud of the way you're stepping up and helping Kara out while she's so sick and Ozzy's in America."

"Thank you, Dad," Finn says shyly, holding onto Niall for a few seconds longer, "I don't mind really. I like hanging out with the little lad. It's nice to be able to help out while I can't play football. Gives me something meaningful to do."

Niall let go of Finn and held him at arms length looking directly into his eyes and smiling proudly, "Well keep doing what you're doing. I bet it means a lot to Ozzy. You're an amazing person and an amazing boyfriend."

Finn blushed and looked over at Harry who smiled at him just as proudly as Niall, "Well I learned from you guys so..."

"What?? I thought I was your role model?" Rory said, pretending to be in shock.

"Come here you," Niall laughed and held his arms open for a hug. Rory went easily and the two men hugged each other tight. Niall whispered something in Rory's ear that Harry couldn't hear but knowing Niall he was probably thanking him for being strong and looking after the family.

Once Rory stepped back, Niall hugged Anna, too, and signed with her for a few minutes then she had to get going because the kids were getting out of school soon and she had to pick them up.

"Finn do you need to go get Jacob? There's no need to have Kara getting out of bed if she's really sick. I'm perfectly fine here. Your Pop isn't going to leave my side anyway," Niall said, coaxing Finn to go pick up Jacob.

"Are you sure?" Finn asked uncertainly, "Kara is feeling a little better. She was able to keep some soup down earlier and she's drinking plenty of water."

Niall scoffed and waved his hand in the air dismissively, "That's good but she's nowhere near ready to be out of bed. She's probably still really weak and shouldn't be getting out of bed to go outside. Go on and pick him up from school. I promise you I'm fine."

"You can go, Finn. Everything is fine. I'm here and I have my phone. You can call us as many times as you want," Harry said with a reassuring smile.

After a long pause Finn said, "Okay, but I'm probably coming back later if Kara feels up to watching Jacob and I want to know what the doctor says when your test results come back."

"Yes Sir!" Niall saluted Finn, making Finn shake his head and roll his eyes at his father.

"I love you, Dad. More than anything," Finn said, reaching down to hug Niall again before standing up and going to hug Harry, "Please call me if anything happens."

"I will, baby. Go get that precious little boy and give him a hug for us. Say hi to Ozzy as well," Harry told Finn as they hugged.

Finn nodded and said goodbye then Nori and Kate moved onto the bed on either side of Niall while Rory and Harry pulled up chairs beside the bed. They simply hung out together as a family, talking, laughing, giggling and telling stories. The doctor came in to check on Niall once and nurses came by every now and then to check vitals and draw blood for more tests.

At one point when everyone was busy chatting, Harry slipped out to find the doctor and ask about the test results. She told him she's waiting until all the results are back before speaking with them and to expect Niall to be in the hospital for at least a couple of days. Harry thanked her and snuck back into Niall's room, taking his seat next to the bed and smiling and nodding at Rory when he caught Harry's eye across the bed.

It was getting late when the doctor showed up with another doctor beside her. It was going for nine o'clock and Rory was getting ready to take the girls home and stay with them since Finn was with Jacob and Harry would be staying at the hospital with Niall. Niall tried his best to convince Harry to go home and rest since he felt perfectly fine and was just going to sleep all night anyway but Harry was being stubborn and refusing to leave Niall's side.

"Hello again everyone," Dr. Stacey said, smiling at all of them, "How are you feeling, Niall?"

"Pretty good, actually. I don't see why I can't go home," Niall replies.

"I know. It's never fun to be in the hospital," The doctor sympathized, "We can't let you go quite yet, though. We need to know what's caused that seizure you had. We have all your test results back now and would like to discuss them with you."

Harry felt his body stiffen and his hand immediately reached for Niall's on the bed, linking their fingers together. His heart started to pound in his chest and his mouth went completely dry. This is it. This could be the moment they find out something horrible is wrong with Niall. This could be the moment Harry finds out he's going to lose the love of his life forever. He can feel sweat break out on his skin and he wants to run screaming from the room but he stays put in his chair, Niall's hand in his like an anchor.

"Can we stay?" Nori asks, her eyes wide as she looks between the doctors and her parents, "I know you might think we're too young but we're family. We want to know what's going on too. Right Kate?"

"Right," Kate held on to her sister's hand so tight that both their hands were turning white, "Whatever it is we can handle it. We want to know what's going on."

"It's fine with me," Niall smiled fondly at his girls, "Harry?"

Harry licked his lips and simply nodded quickly. He couldn't speak right now. His heart was up in his throat and he was too busy studying the doctor's faces to see if he could tell if it's bad news. Their faces were neutral, though, and he felt irrational hate for them in this moment for being able to control their emotions so well.

"Alright. Let's get started then. I've brought Dr. Alexandra Burgess with me. She's our chief neurologist here at this hospital and on call tonight. I consulted with her on your CT and MRI scans, Niall, and she's here to explain the results." Dr. Stacey explained.

Niall narrowed his eyes at the doctor, "One of those is the evil machine you had to sedate me for isn't it?"

Both doctor's laughed and Dr. Burgess spoke up for the first time, "I heard all about that. I was told I'd like you, Mr. Horan, and I can now see why."

"Well I'll probably like you, too, but only if you stop that Mr. Horan nonsense. It's just Niall. This stunning creature next to me is my husband, Harry, and these other three stunning creatures are three of our children, Rory, Nori, and Kate," Niall introduced everybody and the doctor went around the room shaking everybody's hand.

Harry was losing his mind right now. His heart was up in his throat, his hands were clammy and he knew Niall could feel it, his mouth was dry and he felt like he was going to throw up any minute. He needed to know the results. He needed to know them _now_ and yet Niall was too busy joking around with the doctor's and introducing everybody like they were at a social event for fucks sake.

"Can we-" Harry tried to talk but his voice came out all hoarse and croaky so he had to stop and clear his throat to try again, "Sorry. Can we hear the results please?"

The doctor nodded and opened up the chart she was holding. Harry was watching her but he was aware of Rory and Niall looking at him out of the corner of his eye. He knew they were probably concerned about him but right now he just needed to know what was going on.

"Okay, Niall, this right here is a scan of your brain," Dr. Burgess put a large black and white scan up on the wall and stood next to it with her pen in hand. She pointed at a spot on the scan and looked over at Niall, "This right here is the reason for the headaches you've been having, as well as the seizure. It's a small mass, no bigger than a grape right now. I believe it's growing fast, though, which is why your headaches came on so quickly and have been progressively getting worse and now of course you've had the seizure."

Harry couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. His heart stopped in his chest as he heard the words the doctor said over and over again in his head. There was a mass in Niall's brain. It was growing fast. It was probably cancer and they were about to tell them Niall only had a month to live. Oh God. Oh God.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Dr. Stacey asked, alarm in her voice.

Harry couldn't answer of course. He was struggling to catch his next breath but it wouldn't come. His arms and legs started to tingle and become numb and his chest was heaving as he tried to suck in air. He could hear people around him, could hear their voices as if they were far away. He could feel cool hands on his cheeks, hands that felt like Niall's. That's the last thing he remembers before everything goes black.

  
~~~

  
Harry's eyes flutter open and all he sees is blue. It only takes his brain a second to register that he's seeing Niall's eyes and he immediately reaches out, grasping for any piece of Niall he can grab.

"Hey there darlin'" Niall says softly, a small smile on his face. He takes Harry's hand in his and links their fingers together, "Gave us a bit of a scare there for a minute."

"What?" Harry frowned and tried to sit up, realizing quickly that he was in a bed...with Niall, "What happened?"

"You had a panic attack, darlin'" Niall answers, "The doctor's said you're fine, though."

The doctor's. Oh God. It all came back to Harry now. The mass on Niall's brain. Niall probably not having long to live. Niall not being around for their children. Oh God - their children! Nori and Kate were here. They must be terrified right now!

Harry sat up quickly and searched for his daughter's, finding them standing at the bottom of the bed with Rory, their eyes filled with concern, "I'm so sorry," Harry blurted out, "Are you alright? I don't know what happened. I just - I - "

"Pop. It's okay. We're fine. Just worried about you," Nori said as she walked around the side of the bed to take Harry's hand, "Are _you_ okay? Can you breathe okay now?"

"Yes, baby, I can breathe fine now," Harry reassured his daughter. He reached up to stroke her cheek with his thumb and managed a small smile for her before he turned to the doctor's, "I'm so sorry for all of this."

"There's no need to apologize for anything, Harry," Dr. Burgess said kindly, "I think I know where your mind went when I showed you the mass on your husband's brain. If you're well enough for me to continue I'd like to explain?"

Harry swallowed hard and nodded his head, determined to get through this and not fall apart or have another panic attack, at least for his kid's sake and Niall's. He needed to be strong for them.

"Alright," Both doctor's pulled up chairs and sat next to the bed so they could talk to the whole family. For some reason Harry found the gesture comforting. To him it showed they were settling in and willing to stay until the family was comfortable and understood exactly what was happening, "So, Harry, like most people I think your mind automatically thought cancer, am I right?" Harry nodded, "Well I can't rule that out, of course, but there's also a good chance it's not cancer. Many tumours that appear in the brain are benign. So until we know for sure I always encourage my patients to stay positive."

Niall nodded thoughtfully and Harry simply held on to his hand for dear life, repeating to himself over and over again to stay calm. It helped that Niall was gently circling his thumb over Harry's skin. Just that simple touch could keep him grounded.

"I'm definitely one to stay positive," Niall smiled at the doctor, "So what's my next step?"

"I'm glad you asked that," Dr. Burgess said to Niall, "Our next step is surgery. It doesn't matter if it's benign or not, this tumour has been giving you nasty headaches and now seizures. It's growing quickly as well so it needs to come out regardless. I've got you on my surgery schedule for the day after tomorrow. Once I remove the tumour I'll send it off to pathology for a biopsy and rush the results. We'll get this figured out as quickly as we can so you're not in limbo. I'm sure you just want to get back to your everyday life."

"Is the surgery dangerous?" Nori asked as she came around and plopped herself down on the bed by Harry's and Niall's feet. Harry moved his legs a bit and encouraged her to crawl up between him and Niall for a cuddle. Kate was already under Rory's arm and Rory was holding her close like the protective older he is.

"Every surgery comes with risks. Even something as simple as having your tonsils removed. However, brain surgery has come a very long way over the years and is nowhere near as dangerous as it was sixty or seventy years ago. I'll be performing a procedure called a craniotomy. I've done hundreds of them in my career. They're quite common. What I will do is remove a small portion of the skull here-" Dr. Burgess laid Niall's chart on the bed and showed them all a picture of a skull, pointing out where exactly she would be removing a piece, "- then I will remove the tumour which isn't too big yet and once I'm done I'll replace the part of the skull I removed and Niall will go to the ICU for a few days so nurses can watch him closely in case of infection or complications."

"Well Dad, I guess you're shaving your head like Pop had to do back in the day," Rory said, a smirk on his face.

Niall laughed loudly, surprising the doctor's a bit, "You'll have to take a picture of me like we did with Harry and we'll put them side by side on the mantel at home. A little shrine to our battles with the brain."

"Pop had brain surgery twenty years ago," Rory explained to the doctor's, "His head got bashed in by a light at 'The Voice'"

"Oh God. I remember that! It was all over the news. You saved a little girl!" Dr. Stacey exclaimed, "I was fifteen at the time. I remember crying in my room. I was a big Harry Styles fan."

"What do you mean you 'were'? Aren't you still?" Dr. Burgess teased, "I am. Your albums come on shuffle when I'm listening to music in the OR all the time."

"Oh my God!!!" Niall cackled with laughter, "This is brilliant. You can play Harry's music while operating on me."  
  
Harry sat holding Niall's hand while cuddling Nori into his side. He watched Niall interacting with the doctor's, laughing and smiling, the news of his diagnosis seemingly not affecting him at all. The last thing Harry wanted to do right now was laugh but he couldn't help but chuckle when he watched Niall and heard him laughing. The infectiousness of it took over even during bad times it seemed.

"I'll play whatever you want me to. Pick your favourite Harry Styles album and that's what we'll have on," Dr. Burgess laughed.

"Oh come on now, doc. I can't pick a favourite. I'm extremely proud and fond of every single song he's ever done. You pick _your_ favourite and I'll just be happy knowing my husband's voice is entertaining you all while you're making me well again," Niall said with a grin on his face, "I'm guessing after this surgery I'll be in the hospital for awhile?"

"You will be, yes," The doctor confirmed, "It's precaution mostly. We need you here to look out for infection. Getting an infection in the brain is a serious thing so we like to make sure that doesn't happen. You'll also be on heavy pain medication for awhile which is normal considering I'll be stapling your skull back together."

"Jesus that sounds fun, doesn't it?" Niall joked, "Alright. I'm ready for it. I've got my friends and my wonderful family to keep me company here in the hospital. I'm ready to do whatever I need to do to get well."

"That's a great attitude to have, Niall. I really don't see any reason why this won't go according to plan. You just rest up and myself, Dr. Stacey and the nurses will be around if you need anything or have any more questions," Dr. Burgess said.

"Um," Harry cleared his throat to ask a question, "What - what if the biopsy is done and it is cancer?"

Dr. Burgess nodded at the question and leaned forward a bit with her elbows on her knees, "We can talk about this now if you like but I prefer to take things one step at a time. It may not be cancer so I usually try not to overload my patients and their families with information they may end up not needing."

"I think that sounds like a good idea, darlin'. Let's get me through this surgery first and wait for the biopsy results, yeah? They'll probably be negative and we'll never have to have the cancer talk but if they're positive then we'll cross that bridge when we get there," Niall said gently, squeezing his hand.

Harry knew he was right. He needed to just focus on one thing at a time. He needed to get Niall through this surgery and go from there, "Okay. You're right. One thing at a time."

"Okay. We'll let you get some rest now. Don't hesitate to have us paged if you have any more questions," Dr. Burgess said, standing up and shaking Niall's and Harry's hands before leaving the room.

"Well then," Niall said when the doctor's left the room.

"We're going to get you through this, Daddy," Nori said as she changed positions on the bed to hug Niall, "No matter what. We'll be here everyday to visit you and bring you whatever you need."

"Thank you, Little Lovey," Niall hugged his daughter and kissed her head, "I appreciate that so much. I need you to make me one promise though. I'm happy to have you visit me everyday but I want you to keep going to school and keep your grades up, okay? I'm just going to be laying around here all day, doped up on pain medication. Your Pop will be here and I'm sure Ryanne, Finn and Rory and Louis and a whole bunch of people will be in and out keeping me company so don't fret about me. You keep up your school work. Both of you."

"We'll do it, Daddy. Don't worry. We can come visit you after school and do our homework with you," Kate said, coming around to hug Niall as well.

"Yes! That sounds perfect!" Niall said happily, "I love you girls so much. You're the best daughter's a man could ask for. Now it's getting late so I want you to go home with your brother and get some rest."

"Can we skip school tomorrow? We should be here with you tomorrow. Before the surgery," Nori said.

Harry knew what she was thinking and not saying. In case Niall died during surgery. She was asking to spend the day with her Dad in case it was the last day she ever spent with him. It was too much for Harry. It was all too much. He got up from the bed and quickly excused himself, saying he was going down the hall to the toilet. He needed to get out before he broke down and scared his children.

He ended up going into a small room that had three vending machines in it. Nothing else. It was empty, though, and that's all that mattered. He sank to the floor with his back against the wall next to the Pepsi machine, loud sobs wracking his body and nearly choking him.

He's so lost in everything that he doesn't even notice anyone come into the room until there are strong arms around him practically pulling him into their lap. He looks up, meets Rory's eyes, and tries to speak but all that comes out is another loud sob. Rory pulls him in, one hand behind his neck while the other one rests on his heaving back. He holds Harry tight, not saying a word, just letting Harry sob his heart out like he needs to.

"Rory," Harry gasped out, tears and snot covering his face, "Oh God. Oh God I - I can't lose him. Oh God. I can't live without him. I can't!"

"Pop. Pop, no. No, Pop. You're not going to lose him. You're not going to lose anybody. We're all here. We're not going anywhere," Rory said calmly, holding on to him even tighter and pressing his cheek against his chest.

"You don't know that!!!" Harry wailed, his knuckles turning white from how tightly he was gripping Rory's shirt, "You don't know!!! You can't! You can't!!! Oh God!! Please! Why is this happening?? Why???"

"Pop! Pop, stop it! You're going to make yourself sick," Rory tried to calm him down but Harry was too worked up. He was screeching now and could barely breathe from sobbing. Finally he felt himself being pulled from Rory's body and then Rory had both hands on his cheeks and was looking right into his eyes, "Pop, _listen to me._ I know you're hurting. I know you're upset. I am too but you have to stop this. Don't do this to yourself. You're torturing yourself over something that probably won't even happen. This is the last thing that Dad would want. He wants us all to stay positive like him. Please, Pop. It's killing me seeing you like this. Please."

Harry stared into his son's eyes, taking on the pain, the hurt, the worry and he felt so disgusted with himself. He is the father here. _He_ is the one who should be comforting Rory, Nori and Kate. _He_ is the one who should be by his husband's side right now, comforting him and being strong for him. Instead he's falling apart in his son's arms while his girls are probably worried sick about him in Niall's room while Niall comforts them. He was being so selfish right now. So selfish.

"You're right," Harry nodded quickly and wiped at his face with his hands, his hands coming back soaked from tears. He took some deep, shaky breaths, trying to slow down his crying and get it under control, "You're right. I need to stay positive. I need to be there for my children. Especially the twins. They're so young. It'll be hard for them to understand. They can't see me falling apart like this. That will only scare them even more. I need to be strong."

"I know you can do it, Pop. I know you can. You're so much stronger than you think. Just think of Dad, yeah? Think of how much you love him and he loves you. Take strength from that. You're both strong people but together you're unstoppable.   
You're going to get through this. Together. Okay?" Rory encouraged him.

Harry took in another deep breath and let it out slowly, "Yeah. We'll get through this. We will. I just - I need to clean myself so I can go be there for Niall. I need to - oh God Nori and Kate must be freaking out. I just ran out and - "

"They're fine Pop," Rory grabbed him by the shoulders as they both stood up from the floor, "They're smart. They know how much you love Dad. They know you're upset but they understand. As I left to come after you, Dad was telling them you just need some time to process everything and that you'll call them later to say goodnight."

Harry wiped at his nose with the back of his hand, a small chuckle escaping his lips, "Of course he did. He can handle anything calmly that man. He's so strong. The strongest person I know. You're just like him, Rory. So incredibly strong. Thank you."

"No need to thank me, Pop," Rory pulled him into a long hug, "I love you. We're a family and we'll all support each other through anything. That's one of the great things about our family. I feel lucky everyday that Mam reached out to Dad to let him know I existed before she died. I'm so happy to be a part of this family."

"Oh Rory," Harry hugged his son tight, "Thank God she did. I couldn't imagine my life without you. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Pop," Rory stepped back and held him at arms length, "I'm going to go bring the girls home now. Aunt Gemma is there with Ryanne and the twins. She's going to stay there to help out for as long as you need. I'm going to fill her in on what's going on but we won't tell the twins."

"No. That's a good idea. Your Dad and I will talk to the twins tomorrow," Harry said, sniffling a bit.

"Once I drop the girls off I'm going over to Ozzy's to talk to Finn, okay? He wants to know what's going on and I know you don't want to leave Dad right now," Rory explained.

"Oh God. Rory...that's not fair to you. I'm the parent. I should be telling him," Harry said, closing his eyes and trying to fight the headache he could feel coming on. He felt like such a failure to his kids right now. They were being so strong while he was in a room with some vending machines falling apart. It was ridiculous.

"Pop. Relax. You know how close Finn and I are. I don't mind explaining everything to him. I'll tell him he can call and talk to you and Dad. Keep your phone close. Everything will be fine. Finn is strong. He's level headed like me and Dad," Rory said.

Harry nodded, "Tell him we love him so much. We'll see him tomorrow."

"I will. You go on and clean up. I'm going to bring the girls home. Stay strong, okay? Positive thoughts only," Rory said, reaching in for one more hug.

Harry said his goodbyes to Rory then headed to the toilet to wash his face before he went back into Niall's room. He stays in there for twenty minutes with wet paper towels on his face, trying to get rid of some of the redness and puffiness around his eyes. It works a bit but he stills looks like crap so he sighs and accepts it then makes his way back to Niall's room.

When he gets there a nurse is in the room and Niall is in a wheelchair, "Hi, darlin'. They're just moving me up to the neurology unit. I'll have a private room."

"Oh. Okay. I'll come with you," Harry says, grabbing his bag from the floor.

"Actually," Niall looks at him sheepishly, "I'm kinda starving. Can you get me some food so they don't try to force the slop they make here down my throat?"

The nurse laughs and Harry joins in. He bends down to kiss Niall on the forehead then stays crouched down to look into his eyes, "You can have whatever you want, baby. Just name it."

"Ohhhh. I like this. Think I should take advantage of this," Niall says, winking at the nurse, "I'd absolutely love a turkey sandwich. From that deli I love. You know, where they pile the sandwich high with so much turkey. Don't forget the pickles too. Love pickles. Oh! And a chocolate milkshake. Please," Niall finishes off by smiling sweetly up at Harry.

Harry barks out a laugh and surges in to kiss Niall on the lips, "I love you so much, my little menace. I'll get you that sandwich right now."

"Thank you! I'm so hungry. Get yourself something too. You need to eat. I mean it Harry!" Niall warns him, wagging a finger at him.

"Okay, okay," Harry stands up and holds his hands up in surrender, "I'll be right back, okay?"

Niall nodded and puckered his lips for another kiss. Harry obliged and the nurse gave him instructions on where to go when he gets back, then Harry is off to get his husband some food, an actual smile on his face as he walks down the hall chuckling at his husband's cuteness.

He returned thirty minutes later with two huge sandwiches, a bag of crisps, and two milkshakes. He makes sure to be quiet as he walks off the elevator and down the hall. Only parents of children are generally allowed to stay overnight at the hospital. Harry knows they're probably only letting him stay because he's a celebrity and does a lot of charity work for children's foundations associated with many hospitals around London. He doesn't normally abuse his celebrity status but in this case he's doing it and he doesn't care how it makes him look. He needs to be with Niall.

When Harry walked into the room and closed the door behind him, Niall was sitting up in bed with his legs crossed watching the telly on low. He was hooked up to the same machines as he was in the A&E but if it weren't for that, anyone would think he was perfectly healthy. He certainly looked better than Harry did right now.

"Hi, baby," Harry said softly, walking over to the bed and laying the bag of food down and kissing Niall, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel good," Niall reached up and curled a hand around Harry's neck, pulling him down for a longer kiss. When they pulled apart, Niall patted the bed next to him and Harry kicked his boots off so he could get up on the bed next to Niall, "Thank you, darlin'. Smells so good and it's not even out of the bag yet."

"Well they do have the best fresh turkey at that deli and your sandwich is dripping in mayo just like you like," Harry said as he leaned into Niall, feeling his warmth and presence, smelling the soap off his skin.

Niall took napkins from the bag and gave some to Harry, keeping some for himself, then he unwrapped the straws and popped them in their milkshakes, "Let's dig in then!"

Harry didn't realize how hungry he was until he looked down and he had eaten all of his sandwich. When he looked over at Niall, his husband was smiling fondly at him, a small speck of mayo on the corner of his mouth, "Good?"

"So good," Harry breathed out, lifting a thumb to remove the mayo from Niall's lips and suck it into his own mouth, "Didn't realize how much I needed that."

Niall hummed and started balling up their garbage, putting it into the bag and laying it on the table next to the bed, "I know."

Harry groaned and hid his face in his hands, "I'm so sorry, Niall. You're taking care of me even now. I'm so selfish. I'm supposed to be taking care of you!"

"Hey now," Niall's fingers circled his wrists and pulled his hands away from his face, "None of that. You're the least selfish person I know. I don't want to hear any of that okay? Promise me."

Harry opened his mouth to argue but Niall gave him his stern look so Harry shut his mouth and simply nodded his head.

"Good. Listen, darlin'. I knew you would have a hard time with this. I know because if the roles were reversed I'd be having a hard time too. You're the love of my life just as I'm yours. It's okay to be upset. Rory went after you and he said you seem okay now. As okay as you're going to be anyway." Niall said as he rubbed Harry's back with one of his warm hands.

"Yeah," Harry nodded and tucked his head into Niall's neck, "I keep letting my mind wander to the worst case scenario but I'm determined to stop that. For your sake, for our kid's sake and for my own sake. I want to be strong for this family."

"You will be, darlin'. We're all going to be strong. I've got a good feeling this stupid lump in my head is nothing but a nuisance. It won't be cancer. I'll have the surgery, I'll take my time recovering and letting my family dote on me, then I'll be back to normal and we can continue living our life. I truly, truly believe that, Harry, and I want you to believe that with me, okay?" Niall asked gently.

"I'd do anything for you. You know that," Harry lifted his head and looked into Niall's beautiful blue eyes, "Anything."

"Then that's what I want. For you to believe with me," Niall paused, "Actually I want two other things as well."

"Okay..." Harry looked at him expectantly.

"I want to see those dimples of yours digging into your cheeks," Niall said with a grin.

"Okay," Harry laughed and smiled his biggest smile, nearly squealing when Niall reached out to fit his thumb into one of those dimples, "What else?"

Niall carefully moved half his body on top of Harry's without disturbing his IV and looked deep into his pretty, green eyes, "I want you to snog me like we're teenagers hiding from our parents except the parents in this case are the nurses."

Harry feels loud laughter bubbling up in his chest but it's cut off by Niall's lips on his, kissing him urgently. He reaches down for the blankets and pulls them up over their heads, wrapping his arms completely around Niall and holding him close.

Neither one of them notices Dr. Burgess come in a few minutes later and quickly duck out again with a huge smile on her face.

 


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the comments you have been leaving. They really motivate me when I'm not feeling the best and struggling to find the will to write. I hope you'll continue to tell me what you think on this next chapter. I love hearing from you!
> 
> Just a reminder: I'm not a medical professional so please excuse any medical mistakes I may make. Also I apologize for any spelling errors I missed. 
> 
> I love you guys and I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

 

 

  
It was after midnight and Finn was still sitting on Ozzy's bed trying to wrap his head around everything Rory had told him about their Dad. A tumour? In his brain? It was all so surreal. Yes, Finn knew brain tumours existed but he's never known anyone who has had one. It's really just something he's seen people on tv shows have. Now his Dad has one, though, and in one day he'd be having surgery to remove it. It was crazy and Finn didn't quite know how to deal with it, let alone how he'd deal with it if it turned out to be cancer. He couldn't even go there right now. He couldn't.

Finally standing up from the bed, he sighed and stripped down to his boxers before walking into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Once he was done he turned out the light and crawled into bed, laying on his side and hugging one of the pillows close to him. It still smelled like Ozzy and that made him tear up a little. He missed his boyfriend so much tonight. He missed him all the time but he was doing fine with it. Ozzy has to work and sometimes that means traveling. It's a part of life Finn is more than happy to accept to be with the man he loves. Right now, though, when he's worried about his Dad, he just wants to hear Ozzy's voice or have his arms around him.

He pushed the pillow away from himself a little bit and reached for his phone on the bedside table. He had texted Ozzy after Rory left but as of right now Ozzy still hasn't seen the message. It's not surprising to Finn. He wasn't expecting a reply right away. America is several hours behind the UK so it was still early for Ozzy. He was still in LA filming late night shows and other shows and Finn knew he was filming a music video for his second single even though it wouldn't be released for months yet. There was a director Ozzy really wanted and this was the only time she could fit it into her schedule. So Finn was waiting patiently for a reply from his boyfriend and he made sure to keep the phone off silent so he'd wake up when a text or call came through.

He opened up his texts again and decided to send another one. In the first one he just asked Ozzy to call him but if Ozzy sees that it's the middle of the night here he might wait until tomorrow to call. Finn wanted to make sure he knew it was important and that he could call no matter what time so he sent off a short text then closed his phone and settled in to try and get some sleep.

He had been in a fitful sleep when the ringing of his phone eventually woke him up. It was just after three in the morning according to his phone screen, "Hey," He answered tiredly, fighting off a yawn.

"Hey. I've woken you haven't I?" Ozzy's voice filled Finn's ear, the Brooklyn accent like music to Finn's ears right now. He immediately felt calm and a small smile came upon his lips.

"Yeah but it wasn't a very good sleep. I'm just really happy you called back. I needed to hear your voice," Finn told his boyfriend, his voice soft and raspy with sleep.

"What's going on?" Ozzy sounded worried, "Do you want to FaceTime?"

"Yes, please. Want to see you," Finn agreed immediately.

They both hung up and Finn's phone rang again, this time with the FaceTime call, and he quickly turned on the lamp by the bed and accepted the call with a smile on his face.

"Look at you," Ozzy cooed as soon as Finn answered, "Looking all soft and sleepy. Oh baby, I miss you so much. Are you okay? Is Jacob okay? Kara?"

"Oh! Yeah, yeah. Jacob is good. Kara is too. They're both fast asleep. Kara's starting to come around a bit. She's keeping some food down now and everything," Finn paused to prop a second pillow under his head, "Nothing to worry about there."

"Okay," Ozzy nodded, his eyes roaming all over the screen as he took Finn in, "There is something going on though? Are you okay?"

Finn opened his mouth to reply, then immediately closed it again when he realized he was getting choked up. Was he okay? He honestly didn't know. Rory had asked him several times before he left after telling him the news but for some reason Ozzy asking it seemed to just...finally make everything more real for Finn and now he was getting choked up because no, he wasn't okay. He was scared. "No," He finally managed to say quietly, "No, not really."

"What's going on? Talk to me, baby," Ozzy said gently, his green eyes filled with concern.

Finn drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly while rolling over onto his side and burrowing into the pillows, "My Dad. He's sick."

"What do you mean? How sick?" Ozzy asked, his brow furrowed a little as he was clearly going over several scenarios in his head.

Finn closed his eyes against the sting of tears in his eyes but one slipped out anyway and on to the pillow underneath his cheek. He hoped Ozzy didn't notice but the minute he opened his eyes again he could tell Ozzy definitely noticed. The concern on his face had shifted to full on worry and Finn could practically feel his nervous energy through the screen of his phone.

"Finnegan...baby you're really worrying me here. What's going on with Niall?" Ozzy asked him slowly.

Finn took a deep breath and cleared his throat before speaking, "So, apparently my Dad has been having bad headaches for the past month or so. He didn't tell anybody except for Pop and they didn't tell us because they didn't want to worry us in case it was nothing. Then this morning Dad just...fell on the floor and had a seizure. He's in the hospital now. Tests were done and he has a brain tumour. They're removing the tumour the day after tomorrow - well tomorrow now since it's after midnight here. He - he has to have his head cut open, Oz. His head! How the fuck does someone - "

"What, baby? How does someone what?" Ozzy asked gently, his eyes glistening with tears.

"Survive," Finn whispered as the tears started to flow freely down over his cheeks, "How does someone survive that?"

"Oh baby, baby," Ozzy moved so close to his phone his face took up the entire screen, "God, I fucking hate this. I want to be there right now. You need me and I'm not there," Ozzy cursed then took a breath before continuing, "Listen baby, your Dad is so strong and so healthy up until now. He's also got everything in the world to fight for. He's going to get through this surgery with flying colours. You'll see. Plus Harry had brain surgery years ago remember? He pulled through and there have been many advancements in medicine since then. Your Dad is going to be okay, baby. Try to think positive."

Finn nodded the best he could while laying down in bed and wiped the tears from his cheeks with his forearm, "I'm trying to do that. I really am. I keep saying to myself that I won't think the worst but...it just creeps up on me. I convince myself he'll be fine after the surgery but then I start thinking what if he is and they do a biopsy on the tumour only to find out it's cancer and it's spread throughout his body? I can't - "

Ozzy disappeared from the screen for a second, reappearing with his IPad in hand. He opened it up and started typing something, leaving Finn baffled by what he was doing. Ozzy looked up at his phone and must have seen the look on his face because he stopped for a minute to explain, "Sorry, baby. I'm texting my manager and PA. I'm getting on the first flight back to London. I think there's one at eleven tonight. It'll be close but I think I can make it."

Finn's eyes widened and he quickly sat up in the bed, dizzy for a minute because of how fast he moved, " _What_?? Stop that right now, Ozzy. You're not coming home! You're not fucking up your career for me! I don't want that."

Ozzy stopped what he was doing and looked at Finn through the screen, "I'm not fucking anything up, Finn. People in this business cancel stuff all the time and nothing gets fucked up over it. This is important. I need to be there for you."

"No," Finn steadfastly refused, "Absolutely not. You have commitments. You could end up getting a bad reputation because you backed out on them. I would never forgive myself if that happened. No."

Ozzy huffed and narrowed his eyes at Finn, "I don't even get a say in this? What about the fact that I would never forgive _myself_ for not being there for you? Do you think I want to be in some radio interview while you're in a hospital waiting room waiting for your Dad to get out of surgery? Nothing bad is going to happen if I postpone a few appearances. My publicist will put out a statement saying I'm sick or I have family things to attend to and my manager will arrange for me to appear at any interviews I may miss at a later date. Finn...please don't fight me on this. I _need_ to be there with you. I promise you my team and my fans all know how important my family is to me. When it comes to Jacob, my sister, my mother, and you, there's nothing I won't do. My career means nothing compared to you."

Finn struggled not to cry again as he looked at Ozzy through the screen of his phone. He understood where his boyfriend was coming from because if the roles were reversed Finn would be doing everything he could to be there for Ozzy. Not even his football career was important enough to keep Finn from his family and to him, Ozzy and Jacob were already family, "Oz...you have SNL next weekend. It's been your dream to be on that show. You've been looking forward to it so much. I can't - I couldn't live with myself knowing you missed the opportunity because of me. I want you here so bad but - no, I can't let you miss that."

Ozzy didn't say anything for a minute, just looked like he was thinking about something then his eyes opened wide and he focused in on Finn again, "How about a compromise? I'll get on that flight at eleven and be there in ten hours or so. The surgery isn't for another what? Thirty hours maybe? I'll be there in plenty of time and I'll stay just for a couple of days. Once Niall is out of surgery and we know he'll be okay I'll go back to work. I won't miss SNL that way. Just some interviews and meetings with the label. All can be rescheduled. I promise you."

Finn thought about it for a minute, "Are you sure? Don't lie to me. I don't want you getting in trouble with the label or anything."

"I promise, baby. My label loves me," Ozzy laughed when Finn snorted, "It's true. They let me take off for England to record in your Pop's studio didn't they? I had full creative control of the album and it's only my second one. I won't get in trouble. I promise you."

"Okay," Finn smiled into the phone, "Yeah. Please come home. I need you."

Ozzy nodded, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, "I'll be there as soon as I can baby. My PA is already booking the flight. I gotta hang up now to explain to my manager though. I'll call you back from the airport, okay? Unless you're going back to sleep?"

"I doubt it," Finn shook his head, "I fell asleep earlier and it was restless. I just had weird dreams. I don't think I can sleep right now."

"Okay. I'll call you back as soon as I can and I'll see you soon. Keep thinking positive thoughts, okay? It's going to be okay. I know it will," Ozzy said firmly, "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Oz. Thank you for coming home," Finn said softly, fighting back tears again.

Once they hung up, Finn put his phone on vibrate and got up to leave the room and head down the hall to Jacob's room. He didn't want to be alone right now and cuddles from his little lad is probably the only thing that can give him some peace right now.

 

~~~

  
When Niall woke up the morning after he was admitted to the hospital he started laughing even though he was barely awake because Harry was laying in the bed next to him, propped up by his elbow and staring at him like he was going to disappear.

"Bit creepy innit? You staring at me like that?" Niall joked as he untangled himself from the blankets and reached out to brush his thumb over Harry's stubbled jaw.

"I don't care. You're having surgery tomorrow morning. I'll stare at you and watch you breathing all damn day if I want to," Harry says unapologetically.

Niall smiled at Harry but he knew it was a sad smile. It hurt him more than words can say to see his husband so scared of losing him. Niall himself was okay. He was a bit scared and nervous - it was a pretty serious surgery after all - but he was pretty calm about it. He had complete faith and confidence in Dr. Burgess and her staff. She's done the surgery many times before without a problem and Niall truly believes he's going to be fine. Even the threat of cancer doesn't scare him too much. If it comes to that he'll do chemo, radiation, and anything else that needs to be done. It won't be easy and he'll probably be sick as a dog for a long time but he has his family and friends to support him and with the amount of love he feels from them he truly believes he can get through anything.

"Don't be like that, darlin'. You're gonna be able to watch me breathing for many more years to come. I can feel it in me bones," Niall says, smiling wide now and pinching Harry's cheek to get him smiling.

"I know. Believe me, I'm trying my best to stay positive. I'm just - " Harry paused and Niall reached for his hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss.

"You're just scared. You can say it. I know you're scared and trying to hold it together for the kids. I love you for that, by the way. I don't want our kids to be too stressed out about this. When it comes to me, though, you don't have to hide it. I know you think you need to be strong for me. Rory probably even said that to you but I'm okay. I'm pretty calm about all of this. I'm just going to take everything one step at a time. So don't hide from me, okay? I'm still here for you when you need me," Niall told his husband and he meant every word of it too.

Harry finally smiled a little and leaned in to kiss Niall softly, his lips lingering for a few seconds, "I married the most brilliant man in the world. You're the one facing surgery yet all you care about is your family, not yourself. You're the most selfless person in the world, Niall Horan, and your family is so lucky to have you. All of us love you so much."

"You're my priority always. Making sure you're all happy and okay. There is something I need from you actually. A couple of things," Niall says, "I want us to make sure the kids are okay through all of this. Especially the twins. It's really important to me that their lives stay as normal as possible. School, their friends, their activities. Once the surgery is done and the doctor says I'll be okay I don't want them stuck in this hospital everyday by my bedside while I recover. They can come visit me obviously but I don't want this consuming them. Can you do that for me? Keep their lives as normal as possible?"

Harry held on to Niall's hand tightly and nodded his head quickly, tears glistening in his eyes, "Absolutely. I want that too. I'll make sure our kids are taken care of. I promise you."

Niall nodded and looked at Harry intently, "You're not going to like it but that means you can't be here with me twenty - four seven, Harry. You need to sleep at home with the kids, make their lunches for school, drive them to school like normal, pick them up, take the twins to footie, all that normal stuff. I'll be fine here when you're at home. Mum or Dad will be here or Louis. There's loads of people that will be here with me. You need to be there for our kids, okay? Can you do that?"

Harry nodded again, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, "I promise I'll make sure they live their lives like normal. I can spend all day with you while they're in school."

Niall smiled wide and curled his hand around Harry's neck, pulling him in for another kiss, "Thank you, darlin'. This means a lot to me. Make sure you keep on top of Nori about her maths. It's the one subject she struggles in because she hates it. I won't be at home to help her like normal so you'll need to keep up the positive reinforcement."

Harry laughed and rolled his eyes at Niall, "I'll keep an eye on her maths and make sure she does it. I see you helping her with it, you know. I know how you always stay positive and motivate her. I won't be as good as you but I'll be there for her, don't worry."

"I know you will. It's just that math is my thing and literature is yours. I know you might not be able to help her like I do but - well you know what I mean. Just being there and giving her that little push is sometimes all she needs," Niall shrugs.

Harry grinned and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into his side, "I know what you mean. I'll look after your little lovey, don't worry. Now, you said you need me to do a couple things?"

"Oh. Yeah. Can you get us some breakfast before they come in here with hospital food and try to make me eat it?" Niall asked with a cheeky grin on his face.

Harry throws his head back and laughs loudly, the dimples in his cheeks deepening the way Niall adores, "Alright. I'll go get us breakfast. I'll be back shortly. Anything in particular you want?"

Niall shrugged, "Nah. You know what I like. Just get whatever."

"Okay," Harry stood up and put his boots on then grabbed his coat and phone before leaning down to kiss Niall, "I love you. Be back soon."

Niall smiled and told Harry he loved him too, then he picked up his phone that Rory brought to the hospital for him and replied to a text from his Mum who let him know she was on her way and should be at the hospital by noon. After that he made a phone call to his boss. It was still early and his boss was no doubt still at home but Niall didn't want to leave this any longer. He wanted to get it out of the way.

The phone call ended up being twenty minutes long. He explained what was happening to his boss and told him he'd be out of work indefinitely. His boss was shocked at first and didn't know what to say but when he found words again he expressed to Niall that all of Chelsea Football Club was behind him and wishing him the best. Anything that he and his family needed all they had to do was ask. He went on to tell Niall what a valued employee he has been for thirty years and thanked him profusely for all his hard work. Then he gave Niall the option to retire early if he wanted to. He told him he didn't have to make a decision right now. Wait until after the surgery and see how the recovery goes but the option is there if he doesn't feel able to return to work and work until June when he was supposed to retire. If he chose to retire early he'd still get his full pension and benefits. Niall thanked him over and over again and told him he'd talk it over with Harry then they hung up and Niall took a deep breath before calling his assistant to explain to her personally. She cried which made him almost cry but the conversation went well anyway and she promised to explain to all the office staff what was going on.

By the time he hung up with his assistant, Harry was back with their food and Niall was grateful. He was starving and needed a minute to let those phone calls sink in. So they ate their breakfast in comfortable silence until they were almost done and Harry cleared his throat, looking over at Niall seriously, "I need to talk to you about a couple of things."

"Okay," Niall said carefully. He swallowed the last bite of his breakfast sandwich then gulped down some orange juice, chewing on the straw even after he had finished drinking.

"I made some calls while I was out getting breakfast," Harry started and Niall wanted to laugh because that's exactly what he was doing, "I called Ed first. He hates being woken up so early but I needed a favour and had no choice. Once I explained everything he was more than willing to help, thank God."

"What kind of favour would you need from Ed?" Niall asked confused.

"I needed to know if he'd take my spot on x-factor so I'd have something to offer Eric when I called to tell him I can't continue on this series. Obviously the auditions are all done and aired - I have my team and live shows are starting. It'll be tricky but Ed is such a pro. My contestants will be in good hands and they can explain on air that I had to pull out of the show for personal reasons," Harry explained, not really surprising Niall too much. Even with everything they learned yesterday it still came across Niall's mind that Harry wouldn't want to continue.

"Okay," Niall said simply, nodding his head.

"Really?" Harry's eyes widened and his voice went up an octave in surprise, "Okay? Just like that?"

Niall chuckled and and lovingly petted Harry on his thigh, "Yes, really. I know I normally would kick up a fuss and not want things rearranged or whatever for me but...it crossed my mind yesterday and I realized I wouldn't be upset if you wanted to pull out of the show. I - I decided to be selfish for once. Even though I'm calm about all this I still need you. I know I'll be laid up for awhile, recovering from the surgery and I just - I want you to be the one to help take care of me. I don't want to hire some nurse I don't know. If I'm going to need help I want it to be you."

Harry pulled him into a fierce hug and held him there for a long time without speaking. When he pulled back there were silent tears on his cheeks but he was still smiling, "Thank you. For letting me take care of you. I know how stubborn you can be. I'm so happy you decided to be selfish for once - even if I don't see it as you being selfish."

Niall smiled and rolled his eyes, cuddling back into his husband's chest, "How did Eric take it? You're under contract. Is he suing you?"

"No," Harry laughed, "He's a fierce business man just like his Dad was but he's also got a heart of gold. He completely understood and was thrilled I convinced Ed to join. He was even more impressed when I told him it only took five minutes," Harry laughed again, "There's nothing Ed loves more than mentoring young talent. He's also helping out a friend at the same time so..."

"Well I'm glad that's settled," Niall said, "What else did you want to talk to me about?"

"I want to call my publicist and come up with some kind of statement. The press is going to go wild with speculation once it's announced I've left the x-factor for personal reasons. It'll be all over the internet and papers, stupid speculation I don't want to put the kids through. I'd rather just get the truth out there. Not all the details but just say you're having surgery and it'll be a long recovery period so I want to focus all my attention on you and the kids to help you recover." Harry explains.

Niall thinks about it for a minute then snorts and starts laughing. Harry lifts him off his chest so he can look at him and gives him a baffled look while Niall continues to cackle, "What-" Harry stops talking because of his own giggles, "What could possibly be funny about that?"

Niall bats his hand around in the air indicating he needs time to stop laughing so hard. When he does, he looks at Harry while wiping his eyes, "I was just picturing some of the headlines. 'Personal reasons' would probably turn out to be you leaving me because you discovered you're not gay after all and knocked up some woman half your age so you're running away to marry her in Vegas."

"Oh Jesus," Harry started cackling, "You- you're so right! Or- or that _you're_ not actually gay and women keep showing up out of the blue saying you're the father of their child. Like- like with Rory."

Niall was full on cackling again while Harry was laughing so hard it was silent. That's how Anne found them when she walked in the room and looked around with a bewildered look on her face, "Well. This...is not what I expected to find this morning."

Niall and Harry were able to get themselves under control enough after a minute and Niall sat wiping his eyes on the bed and smiling at Anne, "You didn't have to come all the way down here Anne. How'd you get here so early?"

Anne walked over to the bed and hugged Harry before turning to Niall and wrapping him up in her arms, kissing his forehead, "Don't be so ridiculous, Niall Horan. You know full well you're my son every bit as much as this one here is," She said, indicating Harry. "I got up at four this morning, had breakfast and a cup of tea then drove down. I'll be here for as long as I'm needed. I'll help with the kids, the house, the bills, whatever you need me to do and I won't stand for any arguing so keep your mouths shut the both of you."

"Mum!!" Harry stared at his Mum with wide eyes, "Niall you've corrupted my mother. She never had all this sass until you came along."

"Oh shush you!" Anne smacked Harry's arm and turned her attention back to Niall, "How are you feeling this morning sweetie?"

Niall held the hand that Anne held out to him and smiled fondly at her. She was seventy-three years old now but still every bit as beautiful as she was in her forties when he first met her, "I'm feeling pretty good, Anne. Haven't had another seizure but it's only a matter of time before I do so it'll be good to just get this surgery done and over with."

"That's right. Get it done and start recovering so you can get back to your life. We'll all be here to support you in the meantime. I spoke to Maura last night after we both heard the news. She'll be here soon and and I bet Bobby is flying over today right? And he probably threatened you if you tried to talk him out of it," Anne said with a laugh.

"That's exactly how it happened actually," Niall snorted.

Anne smiled then turned to look at her son, frowning and tsking when she took in his appearance, "Harry. Baby. You've been here since the moment Niall was brought in haven't you?"

"Yes he has!" Niall jumped in, "I was about to try and convince him to go home and have a shower and a nice cup of tea then come on back with the kids when you showed up. We can double team him now that you're here."

"No need!" Harry stood up and held his hands up in surrender, "I'm disgusting and definitely need a shower. I'll bring the kids back with me."

"Ryanne too! I need cuddles from my little princess. I miss those chubby cheeks," Niall cooed and grinned at the thought of his little baby girl.

"She looks more and more like Harry did as a baby every day," Anne said, taking out her phone and showing them her phone screensaver is the latest picture of Ryanne Harry sent her. The baby is wearing a tiny pair of sunglasses Harry found somewhere. Niall adores that picture too.

"Doesn't she?" Niall couldn't keep the sickening grin off his face, "She's going to grow up and be just as gorgeous as her Papa and her big sister Nori."

"You're gonna make me cry!" Harry whined as he stood looking at his mother and husband with his bottom lip out.

"Go get my kids!" Niall swatted at Harry with a pillow, "Before you start crying. If not it'll be the year three thousand before you get home and back."

Anne laughed and Harry stuck out his tongue at them then he kissed Niall and told him he loved him before heading out the door. Once he was gone, Niall and Anne sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Niall cleared his throat to speak. "You probably know what I want to say."

Anne gives him a small smile and nods her head, her hand holding onto his tightly, "Yes. I've known you a long time. I feel like I know you as well as I do my own son."

"Then you'll indulge me?"

Anne nodded again and squeezed his hand, "You say whatever you need to say, sweetie. I'm listening."

Niall took a deep breath before he started, "I'm thinking pretty positively about this surgery. It's not as dangerous as it was years ago and the surgeon has done it many times with success. Still the fact remains that every surgery, even simple ones like getting your tonsils removed, has risks so if something happens to me, if the worst happens..."

"I'll look after Harry. Myself, Robin, Gemma, Louis, your own parents- we will make Harry and the children our priority. You have my word on that. They will be taken care of," Anne assured him, her eyes glistening with tears, "I don't believe anything is going to happen to you either but like you I'm a realist and I know there are risks. Robin and I spoke briefly about this last night and we both agreed if something went wrong we'd be moving to London for as long as Harry and our grandchildren need us."

"Thank you," Niall said, his throat getting all choked up. He held one of Anne's hands in between both of his, squeezing tightly, "I needed to hear that. I needed to know they'd be in good hands before I'm taken into surgery tomorrow morning."

Anne brought their hands up and held one of Niall's against her cheek, "I'm glad I could ease your mind. Shall we talk about something less morbid now?"

Niall barked out a short laugh and let go of Anne's hand so he could wipe at his eyes, "Yes! Please."

"Good because you know my grandchildren are my favourite topic. Tell me every single thing that's been going on since I last saw them..."

  
~~~

  
Ozzy did end up flying out of L.A. at around eleven at night but not on the British Airways flight that left from LAX. His PA and manager actually set up a private plane for him and he and his PA Rebecca were able to take off from a private airfield just after eleven on their way to London.

By the time they landed in London it was after six in the evening local time and Ozzy was exhausted. He didn't sleep much on the plane because he and Rebecca had a long video conference with his manager going over what Ozzy had to cancel and when he was going to reschedule it. They also talked with his publicist and she quickly did up a rough draft of a statement she would put out explaining why he had to postpone some things. He asked her to hold off until he spoke to Finn and Harry about it. He didn't want to put anything out that might bring attention to Niall and what was going on if the Horan family didn't want it getting out. He wanted to see first if they were putting out their own statement. After getting all that settled he was too wound up to sleep and just lay down on the couch listening to music on his headphones.

Now as he dragged his tired body into the car Rebecca had hired for them he grabbed his phone from his pocket and first called Kara to check on her and Jacob.

"Hey. How was the flight?" Kara asked him when she picked up. She still sounded bad but not nearly as terrible as before. It seemed like she was slowly on the mend.

"Long. I just need to get my arms around Finn right now. It really fucking sucks to be so far away when your boyfriend gets bad news. I felt useless, helpless. I hate it," Ozzy explained with a sigh, "It'll probably be late by the time I get to the house so don't tell Jacob yet that I'm back. I don't want him getting all excited. You know how he is. He won't go to bed until he sees me. It's better if I just surprise him in the morning."

"Okay. That's no problem. He's busy drawing a picture for his teacher at the moment," Kara chuckled, "He adores her I swear."

Ozzy smiled and closed his eyes, resting the back of his head against the cool leather of the car seats, "That's my boy. He's being good for you? Listening and everything? How are you doing, by the way? You sound a bit better."

"Ozzy," Kara made a tsking noise and Ozzy could picture her rolling her eyes at him, "Jacob rarely gives anyone any trouble. You know that. He's been perfect. I'm starting to feel a bit better now and that's all thanks to Finn to be honest. He took care of Jacob so I could just stay in bed and I really needed that. He even brought me stuff from the pharmacy or- what do they call it here? The chemist? That sounds so weird to me but anyway, he brought me soup as well. He's really sweet and so good with Jacob. He took him to school and picked him up, cooked and cleaned this place- you did well, Oz. He's brilliant. Don't mess it up."

Ozzy laughed and shook his head, "I won't. I know what I have. I know how lucky I am. He's incredible and I plan on telling him that one hundred times or more when I see him."

"Hmmm," Kara hummed, "Perhaps I'll sleep with ear plugs in tonight."

"Fuck off!" Ozzy laughed loudly, startling Rebecca who was engrossed in an e-mail on her phone. Ozzy mouthed sorry to her then got back to his conversation, "I don't even know if Finn is coming back to my place or if he's going home with his family tonight. Maybe he'll even want me to go back to his place with him. Either way I'll see Jacob in the morning. Do you need anything?"

"No. We're fine here, Oz. Just take care of Finn, yeah? He deserves that and give my love to the family. I'm pulling for Niall. I've gotten to know that family a bit and I adore every one of them," Kara says.

"Will do. Thanks Kara. Goodnight."

Once Ozzy hung up the phone he sat silently with his eyes closed as they drove through the streets of Central London. When the car pulled to a stop, he opened his eyes to see they were at Rebecca's hotel. He hugged her briefly and thanked her for coming with him on such short notice. He'd likely have his phone off a lot while at the hospital so she was going to be like a liaison between him and his team while he was in London. As she got out of the car and waved goodbye he mentally reminded himself to make sure he bought her something really nice or gave her a bonus for all her hard work. She definitely deserved it.

They arrived at the hospital not too long after and Ozzy brought up his texts from Finn before he got out of the car so he could check the floor and room number he was going to before he got out. Once he had what he needed he pocketed his phone and pulled up the hood of his hoodie before thanking the driver and stepping out of the car at the main entrance of the hospital. He really didn't want to be recognized right now and the main entrance faced the busy street so the hoodie was just a little precaution. It was cool outside that night anyway so it wasn't unusual.

Once Ozzy made it into the elevator he took his hood down and stood nervously with his hands in his jeans pockets. It wasn't that he was nervous really, just anxious to get to Finn and hold him, kiss him, tell him he loves him and everything was going to be okay. He knew his boyfriend often kept things inside, especially during times like this, and he also knew Finn felt completely safe and comfortable opening up to him so he _needed_ to be there for him. He needed to make sure Finn wasn't bottling everything up until one day he just explodes.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened up onto the seventh floor. Ozzy stepped out and started walking down the hall, immediately seeing a familiar face when he turned the corner, "Rory. Hey."

Rory looked up from his phone and his eyes widened, his mouth hanging open a bit, "Ozzy? What-?" The two men moved in for a bro hug and when they pulled apart Rory seemed to gather himself a bit, "What are you doing here? I thought you were working in America?"

"I was," Ozzy confirmed, "Then I talked to Finn last night and he told me what was going on. I came home right away."

Rory's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Ozzy shocked, "Didn't you have promo planned for your album? I'd imagine your schedule was pretty packed if it's anything like Pop's used to be."

Ozzy nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders a bit, "I've been pretty busy, yeah, but nothing is more important to me than my family. When Finn called me he...he was trying to be brave you know? He does a really good job of it too. You know how he is. Since we've been together he really let's me in, though, so I've come to recognize when he's not okay. I think to a stranger he would have appeared fine but not to me. So I told him I was coming home. He wouldn't have it of course. He fought me on it because he's stubborn but we made a compromise. I told him I'd just stay until Niall was in recovery and the doctor says he's for sure going to be okay. I really want to be here for him tomorrow and I guess I made him really understand that so...here I am. I'll probably be here for two or three days at the most. A few interviews have to be rescheduled but that's nothing. When it comes to Finn, my son or my sister and mother, I'll always drop everything."

Rory looked at him for what felt like an hour to Ozzy but was actually only a minute, then he pulled Ozzy into a proper hug, hugging him tight and not letting go, "Thank you. Seriously, Ozzy. Thank you for doing this for my brother. He deserves to have someone who loves him enough to drop everything and fly half way across the world for him. I can't believe you did this! You're amazing. Truly."

"I'm not. I just love him," Ozzy said, his voice muffled against Rory's shoulder.

When they finally stepped back from the hug, Rory had tears glistening in his eyes but a huge grin on his face, "Yes, you do. Nobody could ever doubt that. You better go see your boy. He didn't say you were coming but I imagine he's anxiously waiting for you. There's been a lot of family coming and going all day but most of them have gone now. Anne and Robin just went back to the house with Gemma, the twins and Ryanne. Maura and Bobby are still here but they're getting ready to leave soon. Finn is still in there with Nori and Kate and Pop. Just knock on the door and go on in."

"Okay. I will. Thanks Rory. Are you heading home?" Ozzy asked and Rory nodded, "I'll see you in the morning then."

"You will," Rory smiled, "Take care of my brother."

"I will," Ozzy promised then he watched Rory walk down the hallway and disappear around the corner.

He continued his way down the hallway until he found the room number he was looking for then he knocked on the door and heard someone say 'come in' so he opened the door slowly and poked his head in, a smile immediately coming across his face when he saw Finn talking with his Dad by the bed.

"I think there's someone here for you, Finnegan lad," Bobby Horan, who was closest to the door, spoke up with a smirk on his face.

Everyone in the room turned to look at him but Ozzy only had eyes for Finn and the look on Finn's face when he looked up and saw him standing in the doorway was a look Ozzy would never forget. Finn's eyes immediately brightened and a small, shy smile came over his mouth as he stood up quickly and took long strides around the bed and over to the doorway where Ozzy was standing. They embraced immediately, their entire bodies pressed together. Even the tips of their boots were touching as they tried to get as close to each other as possible.

"Hi, baby," Ozzy whispered near his boyfriend's ear, his lips brushing gently over the lobe. He kissed Finn's cheek, and neck right after, then gently started swaying their bodies back and forth, "Missed you so much."

Finn held on to him for dear life, his face buried in Ozzy's neck and his fingers digging into Ozzy's shoulders where he has his arms wrapped around his neck, "Missed you, too," Finn whispered back, his voice barely audible because he had his face tucked away in the crook of Ozzy's neck, "Can't believe you're really here."

"I told you I was coming didn't I?" Ozzy said softly into Finn's ear while he ran his palm flat up and down Finn's back in a soothing manner, "Nothing was gonna keep me from you when you need me."

"I love you," Finn whispered in his ear, his voice breaking and taking Ozzy's heart right along with it.

"God, Finn, I love you, too," Ozzy hugged him even tighter if possible, "I'm here now, baby. I'm here."

Ozzy could hear the other people in the room talking quietly. He thinks Harry and the girls are cooing at them but it's all just background noise to him. All he cares about is his boy in his arms. His boy who is shaking slightly and sniffling quietly near his ear, "Finn? Do you want to take a little walk with me? We can go outside and get some fresh air for a minute."

Finn nodded so Ozzy looked up at the people in the room and caught Niall and Harry's eyes. They were both looking at them with very fond expressions, "We're going to take a little walk outside. We won't be long."

"Take all the time you need, love," Harry said, nodding his thanks to Ozzy.

"Ozzy. Thanks for coming, yeah?" Niall said before they left the room. Ozzy nodded at him and he knew immediately that Niall didn't mean thanks for coming for his sake but for Finn's.

When they got outside the room, Ozzy smiled softly at Finn and slid an arm across his shoulders pulling him close. Finn slid his arm around Ozzy's waist and squeezed his hip gently as they walked toward the elevator. Once they got inside and Ozzy saw they were the only ones in there, he pulled Finn close and kissed him, their noses brushing slightly. It was a chaste kiss for now. Just a soft press of their lips together, tasting each other again after so many days apart. It was also a comforting kiss. It was Ozzy telling Finn that he was here and he wasn't going anywhere for as long as he needed him.

"I'm so glad you're here," Finn whispered against Ozzy's lips when they pulled apart slightly.

"Me too, baby. There's nowhere else I want to be but here with you," Ozzy smiled and pecked his lips again.

They pulled apart when the elevator doors opened on the ground floor and Ozzy reached for Finn's hand to lead him out. Finn told him of the garden the hospital has in the back, a place where patients and visitors can go sit outside on a nice day, where smokers can have a cigarette. They went there and walked together hand and hand as the sun was going down, neither of them talking for awhile. Eventually they took a seat on a bench and Ozzy wrapped his arm around Finn's shoulders so he could hold him close and rest his chin on top of Finn's head.

"I didn't realize how badly I needed you here until you walked into my Dad's room and I saw you standing there," Finn said eventually, his voice quiet, "Thank you for not backing down and listening to me when I told you not to come."

Ozzy kissed the top of Finn's head and gently began to sift his fingers through his dark hair, "I'd do anything for you."

"I know," Finn paused for almost a full minute then said, "I'm scared, Oz."

Ozzy closed his eyes and struggled to keep his own emotions in check. It broke his heart that his boyfriend was going through this, "I know. I wish there was something I could do. Turn back time and make sure your Dad never developed this tumour. I can't, though, all I can do is be here, support you, love you, hold you, and hope that helps you even a little bit."

"That's enough," Finn says, "More than enough. Just you being here and me being able to touch you makes me feel calmer. It's just- it's really hard seeing my Dad in a hospital bed and right now he doesn't even _look_ sick. I'm terrified to see him tomorrow with his head all bandaged up and him all hooked up to machines with nurses constantly checking on him. I- I don't know if I can do it. I'm so used to my Dad being the strong one. Pop is so emotional about things, cries at everything and worries about everything. Dad is the strong one who keeps Pop anchored, who keeps the rest of us anchored as well, who laughs in a bad situation to break the tension. I've never seen him weak and I don't want to. I don't think I can handle it."

"Yes you can, baby. You can. Don't think of your Dad as being weak. Think of him as being so strong because that's what he will be. When the surgery is finished and he's recovering he'll have conquered something huge and that doesn't make him weak at all. Think of it like your Dad fighting this huge battle and now he's simply resting and recharging so he can get better and be as strong as ever and ready to face the next battle that comes his or his family's way," Ozzy said, speaking from the heart and hoping it was the right thing to say.

Finn is quiet for a bit, then he slowly separates himself from Ozzy and looks at him with a small smile on his face, "Kind of like...a superhero?"

Ozzy laughs and shrugs his shoulders. He hadn't really thought of it that way but that is kind of what he described, "Yeah. Why not? Your Dad is pretty cool. He could totally be a superhero."

A huge grin slowly took over Finn's face and soon he was laughing and throwing his arms around Ozzy, nearly toppling the two of them right off the bench, "I love you so much," Finn started peppering his face in kisses, "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

Ozzy laughed and held on to Finn as the younger boy kept kissing his face all over. He was aware he kind of sounded like Jacob right now when Ozzy did this very thing to him but he didn't care if he sounded like a kid, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. Loving Finn and having Finn love him back, made him feel like a happy, carefree kid.

"God, Ozzy!" Finn said breathlessly when he pulled back and stopped kissing him, "It feels so good to laugh. Thank you. I don't know how but you always know what to say."

"I'm not really sure why you're laughing but I'm glad you are," Ozzy said as he tried to catch his breath.

"I'm laughing because my Dad would love being compared to a superhero. I can just see his face light up right now and hear his infectious laughter in my head. He'd love it so much and he'd also never let us forget it either so perhaps we shouldn't tell him what you said," Finn chuckled.

"Aw baby. I'm so glad to see you smiling again," Ozzy reached out and grazed his thumb over the corner of Finn's mouth, "You're gorgeous when you laugh and smile."

Finn ducked his head shyly and Ozzy just looked at him fondly until he lifted his head again, his cheeks a rosy red, "Have you seen Jacob yet?"

"No," Ozzy shook his head, "I knew I'd be getting here late and coming to the hospital so I asked Kara not to tell him I was coming. He'd just get excited and refuse to go to bed tonight until I got home and I didn't know how late I'd be here at the hospital. I'm going to surprise him in the morning and bring him to school before I come here to the hospital."

"That sounds like a good idea. I wish I could go with you to drive him but Dad's surgery starts at half eight so we're all going to be here pretty early to see him before he goes into the operating room," Finn says.

"Oh. I didn't realize it would start so early. I can have Kara drive Jacob to school and be here with you if you need me," Ozzy offers.

"I'll be okay. I want you to see Jacob and bring him to school. Give him tons of hugs and kisses for me. He's my little lad. I've been bringing him to school every morning for days now so I'm going to miss him tomorrow. We've got a little routine," Finn says with a grin on his face, "You can just come here after you drop him off. God knows I'll need you to keep me sane while we do the whole waiting game."

"I'll be right there by your side, don't worry," Ozzy said softly, "By the way, I love how you call Jacob your little lad."

"Do you?" Finn grinned at Ozzy, "That's funny because Jacob loves it too. Just a few days ago while on the way home from school I referred to him as my little lad and he said 'Finny I'm your little laddy lad!' and I said, 'Yes indeed you are, Jakey.' and he said, 'I'm your only laddy lad, right? I don't want anybody else to call me that but you and I don't want anyone else to be your laddy lad' I swear I nearly lost it, Oz. When I think he can't get any cuter he surprises me and does something adorable! I don't even know where he heard laddy lad."

Ozzy smiled so big his cheeks hurt, "I know, right? Every single day I wake up and look at him and I can't believe he's mine."

"I can," Finn smiled at him sweetly and cupped his cheek with his hand, "He's every bit as sweet and caring as you are. He learned that from you. I love him so much. I would do anything for him."

"He loves you, too," Ozzy said quietly, leaning into Finn's touch.

Finn was quiet for a minute and when Ozzy opened his eyes he saw him biting down on his bottom lip nervously. He didn't say anything, though, just waited for Finn to say what he wanted to say.

"Do you- would you mind if I tell him I love him?" Finn asks after a few minutes, "I don't want to over step. I just- I do. Love him I mean. So much and I almost tell him all the time but-"

Ozzy shushes Finn by kissing him softly, "You can tell him, baby. You don't even have to ask. He can never have too many people who love him."

"Okay. Thank you," Finn said shyly, "I miss him you know? Tonight is the first night in awhile I haven't been there to put him to bed. If this is how I feel when I only just saw him this morning, I can't imagine how you feel being away for work."

Ozzy drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, "It's been really hard, I'm not gonna lie, but what makes it easier is knowing he's with you and Kara, two people I trust one hundred percent with him. You've also been so great at sending me videos and always being available when I have time to Skype."

"Well I'm glad I've been able to make it a little easier for you," Finn smiled.

"Hey. Are you ready to go back inside now?" Ozzy asked gently, squeezing his shoulder.

"Yeah. I needed this time alone with you more than I knew but I'm ready to go back in now. I feel so much stronger with you here. It's a bit crazy," Finn laughed, "I've never felt this way before."

"I'm so glad I give you strength, baby," Ozzy leaned in to Finn and kissed his cheek as they stood up. They immediately held hands and walked together without any space between them.

"Before we get inside," Finn started, "I wanted to ask if you'd stay with me tonight? I want to be with my family so I'm going to my house. I gave Bobby my bedroom so I'm sleeping on the pull out sofa in the game room. Might not be the most comfortable bed but..."

"I don't care. I just want to hold you. I'll be there. Wouldn't be anywhere else tonight," Ozzy said, squeezing Finn's hand.

Finn smiled at Ozzy and squeezed his hand back. Ozzy couldn't love his boy anymore.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again! I'm back! I know it's been a few months. I took time to write 'Sparks Fly' which I hope you all enjoyed. If you haven't read it yet, please go check it out! I hope you'll like it! 
> 
> Please excuse me if this chapter isn't the best or what you're used to from me. I'm struggling with a bit of writer's block and not knowing where to go or what to write with this story. I'm hoping bit by bit I'll be able to get back into it and write a good ending for you. Bear with me as I'm trying my best :) Also any feedback is welcomed as always. 
> 
> Time to find out what happens to Niall. Enjoy :)

 

 

Harry was going to lose it. He was on the verge of sliding off this damn chair he was sitting in and falling to his knees on the floor in a fit of sobs and screams. He could feel it bubbling up in his chest and clawing at his throat. He could feel it pressing down on his chest so that he could barely breathe. He needed to get up and get out of this room- that's what he needed. The hospital was kind enough to give them a private room where they could wait for the surgery to be over so that people wouldn't see them and potentially take pictures or stop them to ask questions. Harry was grateful for that, he really was, but right now he needed to get out because he felt like he was suffocating.

He stands up quickly, cringing when his chair makes a loud noise in the otherwise quiet room. He doesn't make eye contact with any of the large number of people in the room, just quickly walks to the door and opens it, walking out into the mostly empty hallway. A couple nurses were passing by but they didn't pay any attention to him, thank God.

The hallway was long and very white and pristine. Harry loves a clean house but something about hospitals being so clean and sterile freaked him out. It made no sense since a hospital should be really clean so patients didn't get an infection. Harry thinks the cleanliness and smell of a hospital simply brings back unwanted memories for him. Like when Rory's Mum died and when he had his own brain surgery.

Pushing those memories out of his mind, he began to pace up and down the long hallway, trying to breathe in and out slowly to keep his breathing even. He couldn't have a panic attack right now. He didn't want his kids to witness that. So he kept on breathing and kept on pacing, the image of the last time he saw Niall stuck in his head. Niall who was being so brave. Niall who kissed him long and slow and told him how much he loved him. Niall who almost sounded like he was saying goodbye just in case.

A choked sob escaped his mouth and his whole body shuddered. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to find Bobby looking at him with a soft expression on his face, his blue eyes the same as Niall's, filled with kindness and understanding, "Just take a deep breath, Son. Take a nice, deep breath. You're okay. You're okay."

Harry kept staring into Bobby's eyes and breathing whenever he did, until their breathing was synced and Harry felt calm again.

"There you go, Son," Bobby squeezed his shoulder then slid his arm around Harry's shoulders, pulling him into his side, "Can I walk with you?"

Harry cleared his throat to speak but ultimately just nodded his head and started walking with Bobby, down the long hallway then all the way back again. "Waiting is the hardest part I think. Not knowing what's going on. Not having any control."

"It's bloody torture is what it is," Harry scoffed.

Bobby chuckled and slowed their pace a little, his strides matching Harry's perfectly, "The ironic thing about all of this is how much Niall detests waiting around. Can't stand it. Bites his nails until they bleed, taps his foot, bobs his knee up and down-"

"Curses like a sailor," Harry added, chuckling along with Bobby.

"That's me boy! Gets that from me, he does. I'm not sorry either. Part of being Irish, it is," Bobby says with conviction.

Harry rolls his eyes and turns his head to look at his father in law, "You sound like Kate. It was never a question where she got her mouth from."

Bobby threw his head back and cackled, making Harry's heart hurt a little because it sounds like Niall, "That's our Kate. Just like her Da and Grandda," Bobby's laugh petered out to just a chuckle, "It really is ironic that Niall has us all waiting here, going out of our minds, while he's having a good snooze. Sneaky lad, he is."

Harry laughs a little then falls silent and the two men continue to pace slowly up and down the hallway. Eventually Harry stops and turns to Bobby, releasing himself from Bobby's embrace, "I can't lose him, Bobby. I don't know how to live without him at this point."

Bobby looks him in the eye and puts both hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently, "You're not going to lose that boy. He's a strong lad. The strongest I know."

"I keep telling myself that over and over again," Harry says tearfully, "I just-"

"Listen to me, Son," Bobby stares into his eyes intensely and his grip on Harry's shoulders tightens, "Niall's not leaving this earth today, or any day soon. I truly believe that because his love for you and your kids won't allow him to. My boy still looks at you today the same way he looked at you all those years ago when you were first dating and he introduced us over whatever the fuck that program is on the computer-"

"Skype," Harry laughs through his tears.

"Whatever. Me point is- that's rare. Many people look at their significant other that way in the beginning of a relationship. I looked at Maura that way in the beginning but eventually that went away. We fell out of love and got divorced. Then there are people who stay together for fifty years but they don't look at each other that way anymore. Their relationship is more one of companionship and content. Not you and my boy, though. He adores you just as much now as he did then and there's no way he's leaving that behind. There's no way he's leaving those beautiful children behind. Now maybe you don't believe it works that way. Maybe you don't believe that when a person is faced with life or death they can choose to turn away from the light and come back but I believe it and I can believe it enough for the both of us. Niall isn't going anywhere,"

Harry nods his head and gives Bobby a small smile while wiping the tears off his cheeks with the heels of his hands. He doesn't really have anything he believes. He's never been a religious person but he really likes what Bobby is saying and he really wants to believe that because he knows without a doubt that Niall will always choose life. Will always choose him and their kids.

"Thanks Bobby," Harry leans in to give his father in law a quick hug, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"And ya won't be findin' out either. I've got too many people on this earth to keep pissin' off. I'll be fuckin' turnin' back from that light every fuckin' time," Bobby says, tossing his head back and cackling again.

The door to the waiting room they're all waiting in opens and Rory steps out, "Jesus, Grandad. Can you laugh any louder?"

"Yes, I fuckin' can. Want me to show you?" Bobby looks at Rory with an eyebrow raised and Rory tries to stare back at him but ends up laughing and the next thing Harry knows he's got *two* versions of Niall cackling in the hallway.

"Oh God," Harry shakes his head fondly and chuckles at the two idiots next to him, "Both of you settle down now. This is a hospital."

Rory slows his laughter and looks at Harry, "You okay, Pop?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah. I was just a bit anxious. Needed to come out and walk around a bit. I'm good now. Everyone okay in there?"

"I think so. I think everyone is anxious and just ready for this to be done so we can know Dad is okay," Rory says.

Harry stepped forward and slid his arm over Rory's shoulders, "I think you're right. Hopefully we'll find out soon."

Rory nods, then he, Harry and Bobby go back into the waiting room and sit down. The room is mostly quiet except for the telly they turned on for the twins to watch. They didn't fully understand what was going on, plus they had the television to distract them. Harry envied them a little for that.

When he sat back in his chair and looked around the room, he was overwhelmed by the people he saw there. The people they have in their life who care so much about Niall. All his and Niall's kids were there, along with Anna to support Rory and Ozzy to support Finn. Maura and Bobby were obviously there, along with their respective spouses. Harry's Mum and stepdad were there, Louis and Jenn, Ed, Liam, Niall's cousins Willie and Deo. The only person not there was Gemma and that was only because she stayed home with Ryanne. It was incredible and no matter what happened today, Harry would never forget the support. Never.

"Can I get anybody anything? Tea? Coffee? Food?" Ozzy asks eventually, looking around the room at everybody.

Harry looks over at him, smiling to himself when he sees the way Finn is leaning into him. Ozzy has his arms around Finn's shoulders and it's like his body is almost curled around Finn's, protecting him, shielding him. It was amazing to see. Knowing his two eldest children have amazing partners in their lives means the world to Harry.

"I'm okay, love, but thank you," Harry says, smiling at the man he sees as another son to him.

Other people in the room spoke up to tell Ozzy that they would like a tea or a coffee so Ozzy took notes on his phone then he and Finn left to go get everything, Harry promising to call Finn immediately if there was any news.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl after that. Finn and Ozzy left and came back with the drinks and pastries, Niall's cousins came and went several times from going outside for a smoke break, Bobby made several trips to the bathroom because his bladder isn't as good as it used to be apparently, and the twins stated several times they were bored so Uncle Louis took them outside to find a piece of grass to kick the footie ball around on to keep them occupied. Harry himself did many more laps of the hallway, pacing back and forth, sometimes alone, sometimes someone joined him. It was all getting to him so much he felt like he might explode when finally, finally, a nurse walked into the room.

"Before anybody says anything I want to let you know the surgery was successful," The nurse says right away, a big smile on her face, "Dr. Burgess is aware of how many of you are here for Mr. Horan and she also knows how anxious you all are so she sent me ahead to tell you that while she makes sure Mr. Horan is settled comfortably in the ICU. She'll be along very shortly to fill you in on all the details. Just know the surgery was a success and Mr. Horan is in recovery right now."

There were many reactions throughout the room. Some people clapped or cheered- the Irish people in the room may have let out a few curse words while they celebrated- while other people hugged each other, relieved laughter escaping them. Harry- Harry started crying. Ugly sobbing he wished nobody had to see but he couldn't help it. Relief was taking over his body and it was like the sobs were a way to release the intense fear and anxiety he had been feeling ever since Niall got sick in the first place.

The nurse excused herself and when Harry was able to get control of himself somewhat, he reached for his children. Rory, Finn, Nori, Kate, Matty and Charlie, and pulled them all in for a group hug as they all laughed and cried in relief. It was a moment Harry would never forget for the rest of his life. The moment he was told his husband would be okay and the moment his children were told they wouldn't be losing their Daddy.

Everyone continued to celebrate for the next ten minutes, immediately going quiet when the doctor walked in so they could all hear what she had to say, "Well!" She greets them with a smile on her face, "I like to see this. When a patient of mine has so many people pulling for him and supporting him, it's really wonderful to see."

Harry smiles through his tears and reaches out to shake the doctor's hand, "Thank you so much. Everyone here loves Niall so much."

Dr. Burgess shook his hand and smiled at him, "I know. I also knew how anxious you all were so I sent one of the nurses ahead to let you know everything went fine. I can elaborate on that now that I'm here. The surgery went exactly how I expected it to go. There were no surprises, no complications, it was all very routine. I removed the tumour and confirmed there were no other growths lurking around that we didn't see on the scans. Now we send it to pathology and await the results of their report."

"Where is Niall now? He's not awake yet is he?" Harry asked anxiously.

"We just moved him from recovery to the ICU. He's not awake yet, no. He likely won't wake up for quite some time. He's heavily sedated and will be receiving strong pain medication that may keep him pretty groggy for a few days. That's all very routine, though, so don't worry if he sleeps for the next twelve hours or so. Rest is the best thing for him right now. It will allow his brain time to heal so there will be a lot of resting over the next several days," Dr. Burgess told them all.

Harry took a deep breath, letting the doctor's words sink in. Niall is okay. He's alive. The surgery was successful. Nodding his head slowly, Harry let out the breath and looked at the doctor again, "When can I see him?"

The doctor smiled and looked around the room at everybody, "Soon. I realize you're all very important to Niall and that you all love him very much but he's just been through a major surgery so I'm afraid I'm going to have to be the bad guy here and let you know I can't allow you all in the ICU at the same time. Harry, as his husband you may go in and sit with him for as long as you want. After that, only immediate family and only one other person at a time with Harry."

"That's how it should be," Bobby speaks up, his voice a bit gruff due to crying. He tried to hide it but the tear stains can be seen on his cheeks, "Harry should be with my boy. Niall would want him there. I think I can speak for the rest of us and say we're all just happy our boy is okay."

There are nods and mumbled yes' throughout the room and Rory speaks up next, "I agree with granddad. I'm just so relieved. I'll be happy to just see him for two minutes. Just to see with my own eyes that he's okay."

The doctor nodded again, "Absolutely. Like I said, no more than two at a time. You're all welcome to stay in here for as long as you want and take turns if you want. I'm going to head back and check in on him again- just to make sure everything is still on track and that he's settled into the ICU. Once I'm ready for him to have visitors I'll send a nurse to come get you, okay?"

Harry nodded and clasped the doctor's hand in both of his again, "Thank you so much, doctor. We're all more grateful than you could ever know."

"You're so very welcome," The Doctor shook his hand back and smiled sincerely at him, "I'll be seeing you soon and feel free to have me paged if you have any questions at all."

Harry nodded and watched the doctor leave before he turned to his family again and spoke, "Would everyone mind if I just had a moment alone with my kids?"

Of course everyone agreed and began to file out of the room into the hallway, some of them going for coffee or some fresh air outside. When the door closed behind the last person, Harry smiled at his children and held his arms out for another group hug. They end up with Matty and Charlie hugging his waist, Kate and Nori each under one of his arms and tucked into his side, and Rory and Finn hugging them all from the outside. They stay that way for a little while, until Harry sniffles and laughs at himself a bit. "Your Dad made it, loves. Just like he said he would. Now it's up to us to help him recover. We can do this, yeah? We're a strong family with a whole lot of love between us. We can do this."

"Of course we can, Pop. This family can do anything when we work together. You and Daddy always tell us that," Nori said, her voice a bit muffled from the middle of the hug, "We'll all work together and get Daddy back to normal. It might take some time but we will."

Harry's eyes filled with tears at his daughters words. She was so mature and grown up. Seventeen years old and soon off to Uni. It breaks his heart and makes him proud all at the same time. "That's right, baby, we're all going to help Dad out but remember what will help him the most, okay? And that's all of you not letting this interfere with your lives. Nori, Kate, he'll want you to keep up at school and not let your school work slip. Rory - you've got a family of your own. Kids to look after and Anna is pregnant. He won't want you taking time away from them unnecessarily. Finn - same goes for you. Keep up with your rehab and spending time with Ozzy and Jacob. What will help your Dad the most is keeping things as normal as possible. He hates when he thinks he's a burden. Okay? Can I count on all of you?"

Everyone nodded and agreed - even Matty and Charlie even though they were so young and didn't really understand too much. Harry smiled and kissed each of them on the forehead or cheek as they stepped away. He didn't give a fuck that Rory was closer to forty than thirty. He was still Harry's child and always would be.

"Alright then," Harry nodded and wiped at his eyes, "I love every single one of you with all my heart. Thank you for being the best kids ever."

Everyone said 'I love you' back, then Finn opened the door and let whoever was in the hall know it was okay to come back in.

"Hey," Rory sat down next to Harry and placed a hand on his knee, "We're half way there, Pop. He's made it through the surgery. The recovery will take time and probably seem slow but he'll get through that, too, and be back up on his feet in no time."

"Yeah. I know," Harry turns his head and gives his eldest son a wobbly smile, "I feel weak from the relief going through me right now. I just need to sit here for a minute and gather myself before I go see him. How are you doing? Honestly? I see you looking around at all your siblings, trying to analyze them and figure out if they're okay. What about you?"

Rory looked at him with a half smile on his face, "Noticed that did ya?"

Harry snorted and tipped his head back against the wall behind him, "You're my son. I know you better than you know yourself. You're also exactly like your Dad so it's not hard."

Rory laughs, his fingers picking at the arm of the chair, "I'm okay. Truly. I've been through this before haven't I? I was just a teenager and absolutely terrified you were going to die and leave me just like Mam did. You didn't, though, you were strong and you pulled through. I believe Dad will do the same thing because there's too much here for him to leave this earth right now. Whether he knows it or not, he's the rock in this family. Every single one of us look up to him and want to be even half the person he is. We need him. He won't leave. Not until he's old and ornery like granddad."

"Oi! I heard that you little wanker!" Bobby says from a few seats away, the look on his face fond as he and Rory both laugh. They have a great relationship. Harry is glad of that.

"Your Dad is the best role model isn't he?" Harry says with a smile, "A truly amazing person. It makes me really happy that all of our kids look up to him so much. That means you'll all turn out all right. You and Finn already have."

"Hey," Rory taps Harry's leg with his hand, "That's because of you, too, Pop. We look up to both of you. Don't ever forget that."

"I know. I won't. I love you," Harry reaches over and hugs Rory with one arm.

"Love you, too, Pop," Rory whispers, squeezing Harry back and tucking his face into Harry's neck.

It takes half an hour but the nurse comes back for Harry to let him know he can see Niall now. Harry gets up out of his seat on shaky legs and looks to Bobby and Maura, "Do one of you want to come with me?"

Both Bobby and Maura shake their heads and Maura speaks for both of them, "We'll see him next if you don't mind? But for now I think you should go be with him love. You two need some time alone. Talk to him. Let him know you're there."

Harry's eyes filled with tears and he went over to hug both of them, kissing their cheeks. Before he stood up he whispered, "Thank you for giving me Niall. Thank you for trusting me with him."

Bobby and Maura both kissed his cheek and told him they loved him, then Harry stood back up and followed the nurse out of the waiting room and to the ICU. When she showed him to Niall's room, he took a deep breath and walked in to see Dr. Burgess still there typing something into her IPad.

"Hello, Harry," She looked up at him when he walked in, "I was just updating your husband's chart. He's doing very well. He's stable and resting comfortably."

Harry smiled at her and shook her hand again, "That's good news. Thank you so much."

"We're not completely out of the woods yet. Now our focus switches to infection. That's why he's in the ICU. We must monitor him closely and make sure no infection sets in. Barring any infection - he should be able to go home in a week," Dr. Burgess explained.

"Well myself and my family will do whatever is asked of us to make sure he doesn't get an infection. I promise you that. Your staff will get no trouble from us," Harry promises.

Dr. Burgess laughs and looks over at Niall, "I think of anyone gives us any trouble it'll be that feisty Irishman over there napping."

Harry laughs loudly and slaps a hand over his mouth in surprise, "Sorry. Sorry. You are so right about that but he listens to me. I'll keep him in line."

"Good!" Dr. Burgess laughs, "I'll leave you two alone now. Don't hesitate to page me if you have any questions. No matter what time of day okay?"

Harry nodded, shook her hand again, then she quietly left the room and Harry was left alone with only the sounds of the machines beeping in the room.

When Harry walked over to the bed and finally took a good look at Niall, he had to bite down on his lip so hard to keep from sobbing. Niall didn't look like himself. He lay in the bed looking lifeless and pale with a white bandage wrapped around his head. Harry knew he was just sleeping, that the drugs were keeping him asleep, but it was still incredibly hard to see him being so still. It was incredibly hard not to see those vibrant blue eyes staring back at him, or hear the strong Irish accent he's been in love with since the first time he heard Niall's voice. It's only been a matter of hours since he last spoke to Niall, since he last kissed him, but his heart ached so badly just to be able to talk to Niall right now that Harry almost couldn't breathe.

Taking some deep breaths to calm himself, he sat down next to the bed and took one of Niall's hands in between both of his own. His hand was nice and warm and that made Harry smile a bit. He had to remember this is only temporary. Niall survived the surgery and was still very much here. Soon enough he'd be talking and laughing again. Harry just needed to hold on to that.

"Hi, baby," Harry spoke softly, lifting Niall's hand to kiss it, "You passed the surgery with flying colours! Now we just need you to wake up. Don't try too hard, though, okay? You wake up when you're ready. You need to rest. That's what's best for you."

Harry kissed Niall's hand a few times and sat there watching his face. He looked peaceful at least. Like he wasn't in any pain. That's good. Harry would find whoever he had to to insure his love isn't in any pain.

"The kids are all here. Everyone is here. We're all so happy your surgery went well. So happy, Niall. We all love you so much. So fucking much. Especially me. You're the love of my life you know. The best part of me. Losing you would -" Harry got choked up and had to stop talking, covering his mouth with his hand until he was able to calm down. He took a deep breath and continued, "Never mind that. I didn't lose you. I still miss you though. So I'm going to stay here with you until you wake up. I need to see those beautiful eyes and hear your voice okay? I love you so much. So, so, much."

Harry didn't talk after that. He laid his head on Niall's chest and just held on to him, listening to his heart beating strong and steady in his chest. After an hour he got up and left - not wanting to be selfish when other people needed to see Niall. He went back to the waiting room and let Bobby and Maura go sit with Niall for a bit. He sat with his kids and his friends and family and they all talked about who would see Niall. Only immediate family would be allowed while he was in the ICU and thankfully everyone was okay with that. They were all just happy Niall was okay and could wait to see him when he got moved to a regular room or went home.

As for their kids, Harry knew Rory and Finn could handle going in to see Niall alone so he told them to go together then he would take Nori in followed by Kate and the twins. They all just wanted to go in for a few minutes and kiss Niall, tell him they love him, then they agreed to go home and get some much needed sleep so they could come back tomorrow when Niall is awake and possibly able to interact with them.

"We know you're staying here with Dad. Nothing in this world could pull you out of this hospital," Rory says to him, "Try to sleep though and I'll bring you some clothes and everything."

"I'll be fine," Harry promised his son, "I need to be here. I'll sleep in a chair next to Niall. As long as I can hold his hand I'll be fine. I'll go crazy if I go home. I'll work myself up until I end up having a panic attack or something. I'm staying here until he wakes up."

"I understand, Pop. I do. Take care of Dad and call me if anything happens or you need something. We're all going to have dinner at your house. I'll bring you some on my way home okay? Aunt Gem, and all the grandparents are looking after the kids so don't worry about anything," Rory said softly, hugging Harry with one arm.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, truly grateful to have the best son in the world. Truly grateful to have the best family in the world. With them by his side, Harry knew he could get through anything.

 


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!
> 
> Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it. I want to just let you know all the medical stuff is most likely not accurate. I'm just making it up since I don't have a medical degree. I hope you don't mind and can enjoy the story anyway. 
> 
> WARNING: NARRY FLUFF AHEAD!!!! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think of the chapter. Hearing what you guys like about it or how it makes you feel means the world to me. As a writer I find myself getting so insecure about my writing sometimes. I get so sure it's crap and end up frustrated so hearing from you really does help :)

  
Ozzy lay in bed next to Finn, silently watching him sleep with a frown on his face. It was early - the sun was only just beginning to come up - and Finn was finally in a deep sleep after tossing and turning for most of the night since they went to bed. Ozzy hadn't really slept much either but he pretended to be asleep so his boyfriend didn't know his tossing and turning was keeping him awake. It's not like Ozzy cared that he couldn't get to sleep anyway, so there was no need for Finn to feel bad over it.

Ozzy slipped out of bed slowly and went into the en suite to relieve his bladder. When he was done he came back out and checked the time on his phone. It was only a little after five in the morning. Jacob wouldn't be awake for another couple hours and Kara was here to look after him anyway, so Ozzy got back into bed, cuddling close to Finn and kissing his bare shoulder. He loved this man so much and hated what he had to go through over the past few months. His knee injury, surgery, and now rehab on top of his Dad having major brain surgery. It's a lot and Finn has been pretty quiet over the past twenty-four hours, which worries Ozzy because he knows his boyfriend withdraws sometimes when he finds something hard to deal with. That's most likely why he was tossing and turning all night.

He settled in behind Finn, spooning him and sliding an arm across his stomach. He laid his head on Finn's pillow, burying his face in the back of Finn's neck and kissing him there softly. Awhile later he was just drifting off to sleep when Finn began to twitch and cry out in his sleep, low, anguished cries of 'no, no, no' until he awoke with a start, his body shaking and tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Hey, hey, hey," Ozzy spoke softly, soothingly, "It's okay. You're okay." He sat up and pulled Finn up with him, cupping his cheeks in his hands and wiping tears from his cheeks with his thumbs, "I'm here, baby. I've got you. Whatever it was it was just a dream. I've got you now."

Finn's face crumpled and he fell into Ozzy's arms, his broken cries filling the room and absolutely shattering Ozzy's heart. All he could do is hold Finn and assure him that he's alright, that he's not alone, but somehow it doesn't feel like enough - not when his boyfriend is sobbing in his arms in the early hours of the morning.

"I'm here, Finn. I'm here," Ozzy kept repeating over and over again, his arms holding onto his boyfriend as tightly as he could. He rubbed his back, kissed his temple, made soothing noises in his ear. He did everything he could think of until eventually Finn's gut wrenching sobs slowed down to just sniffles and he pulled away from Ozzy slightly to wipe at his face with his hands.

"Oz," He murmured, his voice sounding so broken, "Can you - can you call my Pop please? Pl - please call him. I - I had the most awful dream. I - I - "

"Okay, okay, baby," Ozzy tried his best to soothe him while reaching for his phone on the bedside table. It was so early and Harry was probably asleep by Niall's bedside right now but Ozzy had to try. He couldn't refuse Finn right now. He was too distraught. "I'm calling him right now."

Surprisingly the phone only rang a couple of times before Harry's voice came on the line, his voice quiet, "Ozzy? Is everything okay?"

"Hey. Hi, Harry," Ozzy stuttered out, a bit caught off guard because he wasn't expecting Harry to answer at all, let alone so quickly, "Finn asked me to call you."

"Is Dad okay? Ask him if Dad is okay?" Finn managed to choke out through his tears, his eyes pleading.

"Harry. He wants to know if Niall is okay. He's pretty distraught right now," Ozzy said honestly.

"Oh God," Harry sounded worried, "Put me on speaker will you please, Ozzy?"

Ozzy put the phone on speaker and laid it on the bed so Harry could talk to Finn, "Finnegan? What's wrong, love? Your Dad is okay. I haven't left his side all night."

Ozzy watches as Finn takes a deep breath and lets it out shakily, "Pop. I - I had this horrible dream and it seemed so real. I was here with Ozzy, just like I am now, and you - you called to tell me that Dad - he - he died in the middle of the night."

"Oh Finnegan, no, love, your Dad is okay. He has his very own nurse who comes in every hour to check on him and the doctor working tonight has come in on his rounds to check on him. Dr. Burgess will be in in a couple hours when she starts her shift. Everything is okay here. I promise you, love. I wouldn't lie to you. You know that right?" Harry says, his voice gentle and soothing. Ozzy wonders if he sounds like that when Jacob is upset? If it's something every parent can do? Just automatically soothe their kids with their voices?

Finn nods his head even though Harry couldn't see him, "Yes. Of course I know you wouldn't lie about this." Finn closes his eyes and wipes at the tears on his cheeks, "The dream was just so real. It's left me really shaken up."

Harry makes an understanding noise on the other end of the line, "I'm not gonna lie and say I've never experienced a dream like that before. It really was just a dream though, Finn. Your Dad is stable and doing well. The nurse tells me he should be waking up pretty soon. Why don't you come over and sit with me? I know it's really early but I doubt you'll get back to sleep. We can have some time, just me and you, while we wait for your Dad to wake up. Ozzy, you'll drive him won't you?"

Ozzy smiled softly at his boyfriend and reached up to card his fingers through Finn's hair, "Of course I will. I'm here for the family. Whatever you need."

Finn rolled his eyes but still smiled at Ozzy, "I can drive myself you know? I'm not a fragile child."

Both Harry and Ozzy chuckled and Harry said, "Let Ozzy drive you. Your Dad learned a long time ago that he has to give in sometimes and let me fuss over him because it makes me happy. I think you need to learn to do the same thing with Ozzy."

"Definitely," Ozzy grinned at his boyfriend, "All I can do right now is be there for you and your family. Let me do that, okay?"

Finn nodded and leaned in to kiss Ozzy's cheek, "Okay. Thank you."

"Good. I'll see you soon then, love. Make sure you eat something," Harry says.

Finn clucks his tongue and rolls his eyes at the phone, "How about you take a break when I get there and we go eat together?"

"You're just like your Dad sometimes," Harry sighed. Ozzy could hear the fondness in his voice and smiled at Finn.

"I take that as the best compliment I've ever had," Finn said, a huge smile on his face, "I'll be there soon, Pop, and when Rory gets there he can sit with Dad so you can have breakfast with me and Ozzy. I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Fine. Fine. I'll see you soon. I love you," Harry said, "Both of you."

Ozzy smiled and looked down at his hands. He never got tired of being loved by Harry. Without his father in his life, Ozzy craved a stable male figure to look up to when he was a teenager. Then Harry came along and gave him that and now Ozzy has a relationship with him he wouldn't trade for anything.

"I love you, too, Pop," Finn said, then he made eye contact with Ozzy and smiled, "We both do."

Ozzy hung up the phone and took Finn into his arms, laying them back down on the bed for a cuddle, "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah. Hearing Dad is doing okay helped. The dream was just so vivid," Finn said quietly.

Ozzy held him close and kissed his temple, "Are you okay? You've been so quiet the past couple of days. It worries me when you get like that because I know you're inside your head."

Finn moved his body around so he could look up at Ozzy, "I'm okay, Pet. I don't mean to worry you. I guess I just...I don't know - I get lost in my thoughts. I don't really say much. I like to kind of stay in the background and observe everything around me."

Ozzy leans forward and kisses Finn's lips, closing his eyes and relishing the feeling of his boyfriends soft, plump lips, "I love you so much," He whispered against Finn's lips, "I just want you to know you can talk to me if you need to or want to. You can always count on me. You can always trust me okay? I love you baby."

Finn smiled at him and slid over so that he was straddling his hips, "I trust you the most. I'd be a mess without you here. Thank God you didn't listen to me when I told you not to come home."

Ozzy put his hands on Finn's hips and smiled up at him. He looked gorgeous as always. Even with no sleep. "There was no way I wasn't going to be here for you. It's where I belong."

Finn smiled softly down at him, not saying anything at all, just staring down at him with a look in his eye. He leaned down to kiss Ozzy and Ozzy accepted it immediately, opening up and letting Finn's tongue slide over his own. It didn't take long for things to turn passionate and before Ozzy knew it, Finn's hips were grinding down against his own and their kiss was becoming sloppy from the both of them breathing heavily.

"Baby," Ozzy pulled back from the kiss, breathing heavily against Finn's lips, "Are you sure you want to do this right now?"

Finn kissed him softly, nuzzling his nose against Ozzy's cheek, "Yes. We've got time before I go see my Dad. I need you, Pet. Please."

And Ozzy wasn't about to deny his boyfriend anything right now. Especially not when he's looking at him the way he is, "Alright, baby. I'll take care of you."

Finn nodded and went to kiss Ozzy again, stopping at the last minute, "I love you, Oz. I love you so much."

Ozzy smiled and moved in the rest of the way to suck Finn's bottom lip in between his own. He bit down on it gently then pulled away to look into Finn's eyes, "I love you too, baby. Gonna show you how much right now."

Those were the last words spoken before Ozzy flipped them over and crawled on top of Finn - slowly working him up until he was ready to burst, then fucking him through the most intense orgasm in his life. Somehow - Ozzy doesn't know how - their relationship changed right then and there and the two men became closer that morning. Falling even more deeply in love than they ever thought possible.

  
~~~

  
Harry was sitting by Niall's bed with his eyes closed and holding onto Niall's hand when he felt the first twitch. He couldn't even be sure if he really felt it or if he imagined it but his eyes were wide open now, and he was sitting up straight in his chair, staring at Niall's face and waiting to see if anything else would happen.

"Niall?" Harry squeezed his hand and brushed his thumb over his skin in circles, "Baby? Did you move your hand? Are you waking up from the mess of drugs they have you on?"

Nothing else happened - not for another five minutes at least. Harry was staring at Niall and holding his hand between both of his own when he felt another twitch. He brought Niall's hand to his lips and kissed it gently and was rewarded with a very tiny, barely there squeeze back from Niall.

"Oh baby," Harry gushed, tears coming to his eyes, "I think you're starting to wake up."

Harry reached across the bed for the button to call the nurse and sat back down, holding Niall's hand and kissing his knuckles repeatedly. The nurse came in and smiled at him, "What can I do for you, Mr. Styles-Horan?"

Harry kissed Niall's hand one more time before looking up at the nurse, "He's squeezed my hand a bit and his eyelids are starting to move a bit. I think maybe he's waking up."

The nurse studied Niall for a moment then started puttering around doing whatever it is nurses do. She checked his blood pressure, listened to his heart and shined a light in both his eyes. All things Harry has seen on telly before but couldn't say what they were truly for. He didn't really care as long as the professionals knew what they were doing.

"Mr. Horan? Can you hear me?" The nurse spoke to Niall, taking his other hand in hers and squeezing. When he responded with more movement in his eyelids and squeezed her hand back, she smiled at Harry, "I think you're right, Mr. Styles-Horan. Your husband seems to be waking up. I'll go page the doctor. As soon as he wakes up the breathing tube will be removed. I'll be right back."

Harry nodded and went back to staring at Niall and talking to him while squeezing his hand and kissing it, "I can't wait to see those pretty blue eyes of yours, baby. Even twenty-four hours is too long without seeing them. It's too long without hearing you say my name or hearing that loud, infectious laugh. It's time to wake up now. You've napped long enough. Your family wants to see you and talk to you."

Niall squeezed his hand again and his eyes were moving more underneath his eyelids. It was like he was right there - just under the surface. Trying to open his eyes but he wasn't quite there yet.

"Good morning," Dr. Nolan came in and smiles at Harry, "He's waking up I hear."

"Yes, it seems that way," Harry said with a smile on his face.

"Keep talking to him," The Doctor said while he went through Niall's chart on his tablet.

Harry nodded and squeezed Niall's hand again, standing halfway up out of his chair so he could kiss Niall's cheek, "Can you hear me baby? Can you open your eyes for me, Niall? I can tell you're trying to open your eyes. Come on, darling. Open your eyes for me."

Niall opened his eyes briefly, shutting them again quickly. He did this several more times before they finally stayed open and slowly started to clear like he was starting to realize where he was.

"Mr. Horan?" Dr. Nolan picked up Niall's other hand in his and moved closer, "You've just woken up from surgery. Don't try to talk just yet. You've got a breathing tube in your throat that was helping you breathe. We're going to remove it right now. Can you squeeze my hand twice if you understand what I'm telling you?"

Harry's eyes moved to Niall's hand and he smiled when he saw him squeeze the doctor's hand twice.

"Good lad!" The Doctor smiled at Niall and patted his shoulder, "I'm going to remove the breathing tube now. On the count of three I need you to cough as hard as you can okay?"

Niall responded by nodding slightly and the nurse moved around to Harry's side of the bed, meaning Harry had to step back for a moment so he wouldn't be in the way. He stood back, anxiously watching as the doctor counted to three then Niall coughed as hard as he could while the tube was pulled out. Once it was out, Niall coughed, sputtered and choked but the nurse was right there with her hand on his back, holding him up so he could drink some water from a straw.

"There we go, love. Small sips. Your throat will feel scratchy and sore for a bit. The water will help," The nurse said in a soothing voice.

Once Niall had had enough water and had stopped coughing, the nurse helped him settle back down on his pillows, making sure he was tucked in and comfortable before she stepped back, "There's someone here who very much wants to say hello to you."

Harry stepped forward, looking at the nurse to make sure it was okay for him to be by Niall's side again. He didn't want to be in the way if the doctor and nurse had more to do with Niall. However, the nurse just smiled at him and nodded, indicating it was okay, so Harry sat down in his chair again and took Niall's hand in his while making eye contact with his husband for the first time, "Hiiii. Look who's awake from his nap. How do you feel, baby?"

Niall looked into his eyes and smiled softly, squeezing Harry's hand in his own, "Hi, darlin'," His voice was extremely raspy and barely there but Harry could hear him and that's all he cared about right now, "I'm feeling...good now...that I can see you."

Harry let out a laughing sob and held Niall's hand to his mouth, kissing it repeatedly, "It's so good to hear your voice. To see your eyes. God, Niall."

Niall looked at him, still groggy but smiling none the less, "Was dreaming about you," He says in his raspy voice, "Good dreams. Like the real version of you better though."

Harry doesn't get a chance to answer because the doctor speaks next, smiling at Niall from the other side of the bed, "Do you feel any pain or discomfort, Mr. Horan?"

Niall let his eyes drift to the doctor and winced when he swallowed before talking, "My...throat is sore. Mostly I just...feel very sleepy and a bit...out of it. Like I'm floating."

The doctor nodded his head and smiled reassuringly, "That's all to be expected. Your throat will feel a bit rough for a day or two because of the breathing tube. The sleepy and floaty feelings are because of the pain medication. You'll feel that way for the next few weeks while you recover. It's not a bad thing. It gives you a good excuse to do as we say and get plenty of rest."

Harry looks at the doctor and nods his head seriously, "Don't worry - I'll make sure Niall behaves himself and listens to everything the doctors tell him."

"Alright then!" Doctor Nolan smiled and reached out to shake Harry's hand before turning back to Niall, "I suggest you just relax and get some rest for right now. Dr. Burgess will be in shortly, when she starts her shift, to go over everything more thoroughly with you. I'll be on shift until then so don't hesitate to have me called of you need anything."

Harry thanked the doctor and nurse, then after the nurse filled up the pitcher with fresh water for Niall, they left the room leaving Harry and Niall alone for the first time.

"Hi," Niall said in his broken, raspy voice. He had turned his head slightly so he could look at Harry properly and he had a soft, fond smile on his face.

Harry grinned at him and kissed his hand for what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour, "Hi, baby. I'm so happy you're awake but try not to talk too much. Just whisper so it doesn't hurt your throat too much, okay?"

Niall continued to smile at him, his eyes blinking slowly like he could barely keep them open, "Love you," He whispered softly, causing Harry to finally start crying - unable to keep his tears from falling from his eyes any longer.

"Oh God," Harry sobbed, laughing at himself at the same time, "Niall. I love you, too. I love you. I tried so hard not to be but I was so scared. I - I kept it hidden from the kids as best I could but inside I was a wreck. Your Dad looked after me, though, he kept me going, kept my spirits up. Thank God for Bobby Horan."

Niall looked like he desperately wanted to laugh but couldn't because he was so groggy and also knew it would hurt his throat. Instead he grinned at Harry and reached up to cover his cheek with his hand, "I know exactly how you were feeling, darlin'. I lived through it nineteen years ago when you had surgery. I'm sorry you had to go through it but I'm glad my Dad was able to be there for you. How are my parents? And the kids?"

Harry wiped at his cheeks and moved his chair in as close to the bed as he could. He wanted to be as close to Niall as possible without jarring his bandaged head, "Everyone is good. Happy and relieved that the surgery went well. You're in the ICU and allowed no more than two visitors at a time so everyone went home last night but will come back today to see you if you're up to it. Finn will probably be here any minute actually. It's quite early - just after six - but I spoke to him a little while ago. He had a bad dream about you and was really upset. I calmed him down and told him to come over and sit with me until you woke up. He'll be extremely happy to see you awake."

Niall frowned and licked his dry lips, "Water?" He asked, and Harry quickly got up to fill his cup then held the straw to his lips so he could drink. When he was finished, Harry put the cup on the table and reached for Niall's hand again. Niall linked their fingers together and spoke again, "Are you sure Finn is okay? He dreamt I died right?"

"He did, yeah, but I assured him you were just fine and Ozzy is looking after him. He's okay, Niall, I promise you, so don't spend what little energy you have worrying," Harry said.

Niall closed his eyes and lay quietly for a few moments. Harry thought maybe he had fallen asleep until his eyes opened again and he looked lovingly at Harry, "I remember dreaming about you. While I was in surgery or afterward I have no idea but I did."

"Yeah?" Harry smiled, "What about?"

"Different things," Niall said, still whispering to save his throat, "When we first started dating, our wedding, you with our children. I think...maybe my subconscious was making sure I remembered what I had to lose if I didn't stay strong throughout the surgery. Whatever it was, they were good dreams and it never hurts to be reminded of what you have - even if you haven't forgotten it in the first place."

"I often think about when we first started dating. When it was just the two of us. God, all the great times we had together. I never laughed so much in my life," Harry said, his dimples flashing when he smiled, "You still make me laugh like that, you know? You still make me just as happy as you did back then. The only thing that has changed is how much I love you because every day I love you more and more. The kids and I - we're so lucky to have you. Thank you for not leaving us."

"Darlin'" Niall looked at him sadly for a moment then motioned for him to get up on the bed, "Come up here, please. Come on."

Harry shook his head at Niall, "I can't, Niall. I don't want to jostle your head."

"You won't," Niall whispered, "You're going to come up here and give me a kiss, then you're going to cuddle me because I just had surgery and I get to have whatever I want."

Harry let out a loud bark of laughter, quickly slapping his hand over his mouth before the nurse came in to see what was going on, "Niall! You sound like one of the twins now!"

Niall looked at Harry gleefully - as gleefully as he could when he was still groggy - and held out his hand to drag Harry up onto the bed, "Come on, darlin'. I need my kiss."

Harry shook his head fondly and got onto the bed as carefully as he could so he wouldn't move Niall around. He lay down on his side and moved in so that his body was pressed right up against Niall's, then he propped his head up on his hand and smiled at his husband, "This okay?"

"Not quite," Niall whispered, curling his fingers in Harry's shirt and pulling him in close. His lips met Harry's softly and Harry closed his eyes, sinking into it. It felt so good to have Niall kissing him, pecking his lips gently and caressing his cheek with his fingers.

"Niall," Harry whispered, resting his forehead against Niall's gently, "I...oh God I'm crying again," Harry laughed lightly, "I'm sorry. I just - I keep thinking about how easily things could have turned out differently and I - "

"No," Niall cut him off and began to leave kisses all over his face, his lips gentle against Harry's cheeks as he kissed the tears away, "I'm here. The surgery went well. Things didn't turn out differently so don't even think about it. Just lay here with me, yeah? I'm so tired. I don't think I can keep my eyes open anymore and I'm willing to bet you haven't slept at all."

Harry didn't answer, just ducked his head to hide his red cheeks. Niall was right - he didn't get any sleep.

"Come on then, put your head on my chest and let me cuddle you," Niall says, a twinkle in his eye.

Harry did what he asked, resting his head on Niall's chest and hugging his waist, "Is this okay?"

Niall kissed the top of Harry's head and began to card his fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, "It's perfect, darlin'. I'm gonna sleep now, okay?"

"Yeah, baby, you sleep," Harry tilted his head up and kissed the underside of his jaw, "I love you."

"Love you, too, darlin'"

 

~~~

  
Since only immediate family were allowed in the ICU, Finn said goodbye to Ozzy in the car park and went into the hospital himself. Ozzy said he was walking down the street to get some coffee at Starbucks and to text him when he's ready. Finn kissed him gratefully and held on to him a minute longer than normal for a hug, letting his boyfriend's arms give him the strength he needed to face seeing his Dad in a hospital bed. It's a really hard thing to face when all you've ever known of your Dad is a strong, outgoing, vibrant person.

He made his way to the ICU and checked in at the nurses station, then went to his Dad's room. When he walked in he paused at first, surprised by what he saw. His Pop was on the bed cuddled up to his Dad and his Dad's arm was around his Pop. He realized almost immediately that his Dad must have woken up and a huge grin crossed his face. He wanted to yell, scream, jump up and down and call everyone he knows but he knew he couldn't do any of that. Not only was it early in the morning but this was a hospital. He couldn't start jumping around yelling and disturb everybody.

Somehow he managed to stay calm but that didn't stop him from taking out his phone and taking a picture of his parents cuddled together on the bed. He knew his parents would love it - he knew a lot of people who would love it. He would start with Ozzy though. He made sure his phone was on mute so no calls or texts would make any noise, then he texted the photo to Ozzy, explaining that it looked like his Dad may have woken up at some point.

After texting Ozzy, he decided to sit down in the corner of the room by the window. He didn't want to wake his parents just yet. No doubt his Dad needed the rest and most likely his Pop didn't sleep the whole night, worrying about his Dad and all.

So he texted with Ozzy a bit and let Rory know he was already at the hospital. He spent some time on Twitter, replying to people and shaking his head when they freaked out just because he answered them or liked their tweet. It's something he should be used to - what with having a very famous father and brother. He himself was pretty famous in the sporting world and the entertainment world thanks to Ozzy and his Pop, but he isn't used to it - not at all.

He manages to waste almost an hour on his phone when he looks up and nearly jumps when he sees his Dad looking back at him. Their eyes meet and his Dad gives him a small smile and a little hand wave and that's all it takes for Finn's face to crumple and the tears to start falling freely down his cheeks. He gets up and goes to his Dad, not bothering to worry about waking his Pop anymore.

"Dad," Finn bent down to hug his Dad the best he could with his Pop asleep on his Dad's chest. His Dad wrapped his free arm around his waist and Finn buried his face in his Dad's neck while he sobbed quietly, "Dad..." He murmured against his Dad's neck, "I - I don't think I've ever been so happy to see you before in my life."

His Dad squeezed his waist and chuckled lightly. When he spoke his voice was raspy and quiet, "No, I don't think you have been. I'll expect to be greeted like this all the time now!" He joked, making Finn giggle against his shoulder.

"What's going on?" His Pop asked in a groggy voice, lifting his head from Niall's chest, "Oh! Finn," He reached out to smooth a hand down over the back of Finn's head, stopping and resting it on his back, "Hi, love. I guess you've figured out the good news."

Finn laughed and lifted his head from his Dad's shoulder to look at his Pop. He wrapped an arm around him, hugging both parents at the same time, "Yeah, I think I have. Thank God."

"You okay?" His Pop asked him, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

Finn nodded, "Yes. Just overwhelmed a bit. When I looked up and saw Dad awake and looking at me...It just hit me that I've seen Dad almost everyday for my whole life - smiling, laughing, just being alive, and how I took that for granted. Seeing him here and knowing how easily he could not be here right now...well, I don't want to talk about that really. I'm just never going to take for granted the little things anymore. No matter where I am in the world or how old I am I'm going to FaceTime everyday just to see Dad smile at me."

"Finnegan..." His Dad's voice trailed off and he looked at Finn with watery eyes, "Thank you for saying that, Bub. You have no idea how much it means to me," He says, reaching up and cupping Finn's cheek in his hand, "I love you so much, Bub. You know that, right?"

"I do," Finn sniffled and pressed his cheek into his Dad's hand, "I love you, too. You're the best Dad in the world you know? I promise I'll never take for granted how lucky I am ever again."

"Bloody hell," Finn heard his Pop mutter and turned to look at him, "I'm getting snot all over myself thanks to you two," He said, wiping at his cheeks and nose with a tissue, "You're both my babies and you're being all sweet and I can't handle it."

Finn laughed out loud at his Pop and shared a grin with his Dad, "You're ridiculous, Pop. You tear up at baby adverts."

"Babies are chubby and cuddly, Finn, and seeing those adverts makes me cry because I miss when my kids were fat and red cheeked. Especially you because you were our first real baby. Rory was already grown when he came to us," Harry defended himself.

"Well good thing you have Ryanne then," Finn said, smiling at his Pop.

"I miss our baby girl," His Dad said, sadly, "I can't wait to get home so I can lay her on my chest like normal while I watch telly."

"Oh she loves that so much - her time with Daddy." Harry says, smiling at Niall, "You know, Finn, that was your favourite spot as a baby. You and your Dad spent hours on the couch or bed like that. I can't even count how many times I'd wander in the room and your Dad would be asleep on the couch with you on his chest also fast asleep. You had an amazing bond right from the very beginning."

Finn looked at his Dad, a shy smile on his face, "Wish I could remember that."

His Dad smiled fondly at him and reached out to take his hand in his, "I remember every minute of it. Those are some of my favourite memories. Just me and my little Bub. Someday you can make the same memories with a child of your own."

"I plan to," Finn said, his thoughts immediately turning to Jacob and how, even though he's not a baby anymore, he and Finn sometimes fall asleep on the couch with Jacob sprawled on top of him.

"Speaking of babies," His Dad started but had to stop because he started coughing. His Pop grabbed a cup of water with a straw from the table and held it to his Dad's lips until he drank a few sips, "Thank you, darlin'. As I was saying, I miss my little princess but I know babies aren't allowed in here so I need you to do me a favour, H."

"Of course. What do you need?" Harry asked Niall.

"I need you to go home and be with our baby. With all of our kids. I know Gem is taking very good care of them all and the grandparents are probably spoiling them, but it's not the same. I'm going to be stuck in here for I don't know how long and after I'm home I won't be able to do much so I want them to have one of their parents at least. I want their lives to remain as normal as possible," Niall said, stopping to take a breath and another drink of water, "I'm on some heavy duty pain meds it seems, and I'm telling you right now it's a chore to keep my eyes open. They make me so groggy and tired. So most likely I'll be sleeping for most of the time I'm in here. As much as I know you don't want to leave my side I can promise you I'm fine and if it makes you feel better I'm sure Mum and Da will come sit here and watch me sleep so you can go home and be a father to our children."

Harry chuckled and leaned in to kiss Niall, "I suspect after that speech you'll end up sleeping twelve hours straight," Harry cackled when Niall stuck his tongue out at him, "Don't worry, love. I'm still going to come visit you everyday but I'll spend most of my time at home taking care of the kids. Between both sets of grandparents and Gemma, Louis, Jenn, Liam and Sophia, there's plenty of people to help out so I can spend some time with you during the day. As long as I know you're okay."

"I can help out too. I don't mind," Finn pipes up, looking back and forth between his parents.

"As long as it doesn't interfere with your own life," His Dad said, "I mean it, Finn. You're an adult now and you have your own life. I'm perfectly fine so I won't let you mess things up because of me."

"Relax, Dad," Finn chuckled, "Nothing will be messed up. I'll continue going to my physio for my knee and when Ozzy gets back to his promo I'm going to help out with Jacob like I have been."

"Good. I don't want any fuss. How's physio going? How does your knee feel?" His Dad asked him.

Finn squeezed his Dad's hand and gave him a small smile, "Everything is going fine, Dad. I'll tell you more about it when you haven't just woken up from surgery. You look like your eyes are about to close any second. Just rest, yeah. I made Pop promise to come get breakfast with me and Ozzy. We can do that now while you sleep and we'll be back when the doctor comes in to see you."

"Yes, please darlin'. Go eat a proper meal. I just want to sleep to be honest. I won't even know you're gone," Niall said, his eyes already starting to close.

"Alright but I'm coming right back," Harry said, leaning forward and giving Niall a long kiss, "I love you."

"I love you, too, H," Niall whispered back, "And you, Bub."

Finn shared a smile with his Pop then leaned down to kiss his Dad's cheek, "I love you, Dad. Sweet dreams."

There was no answer from Niall. He was already fast asleep with a little smile on his face.

 


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter for you lovely people! I hope you enjoy it. As always please excuse any spelling errors. I always find myself wanting to get the chapter posted for you all and end up with no patience for editing lol 
> 
> Please leave any comments that you may have. I love to hear what you think :)
> 
> Enjoy!

 

Niall ended up spending ten days in the hospital recovering from surgery. Everyday he continued to improve and there was no sign of infection, so on the tenth day Dr. Burgess removed the stitches from the incisions on the back of his head and declared him well enough to continue his recovery in his own home. Of course he was sent home with several care sheets filled with instructions on how to care for his still healing incisions, what medication to take, when to take it, and how much to take, as well as what seemed like a million other things to expect while recovering from a major surgery. It seemed a bit daunting to Niall but he knew it was only because he was weak and tired. Harry and the rest of his family were on top of everything and he trusted them completely. His only job was to go home, rest, and do what he is told. That last part might prove difficult once he starts getting his strength back but he’ll worry about that when the time comes.

It’s his second day at home now and he’s just woken up, a smile immediately crossing his face when he sees the morning light just starting to sneak in through the spaces in the curtains. The duvet is pulled up to his chin and he can smell the familiar scent of the washing detergent Harry uses, along with the smell of Harry’s cologne and hair products. It was all so familiar to him and a very welcome change from the constant smell of disinfectant at the hospital.

Perhaps the best thing of all, though, and what made him smile the most, is the warmth pressed into his back. Having Harry wrapped around him, spooning him, his soft breath on the back of his neck, is everything to Niall. It’s what he missed so much while in the hospital he ached for it. He never wants to sleep alone ever again. He’s decided it. If Harry ever decides to do another tour, Niall is going with him. That’s it. Okay, maybe that’s a tad unrealistic what with their brood of kids being in school and what not but Niall is recovering from a major surgery and feels he’s allowed to be unrealistic right now.

Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Niall slowly slips away from Harry and sits up, waiting a minute to let the dizziness pass before he gets to his feet and slowly walks toward the en suite with one hand on the wall to help keep his balance. Apparently for the next four to eight weeks of recovery - dizziness, light headedness and fatigue are to be expected. Niall could handle going to the bathroom on his own, though, and he’d smack anyone who tried to help him - even Harry. He refused to have someone wipe his arse like he was fucking two years old. Nope. Not happening.

Once he finished pissing, he washed his hands then filled his empty glass of water and reached for his pills. He took two like he was supposed to then headed back out into the bedroom to get back into bed. When he got there he saw Harry was just waking up and a small smile crossed his face, “Hi, darlin’”

Harry raised his arms over his head and stretched his body out while yawning, “Is everything okay? Still early.”

Niall covered his body with the sheet and duvet and gingerly lay his head down on his pillows. His incision wasn’t really that sore anymore but he was being careful anyway. It didn’t take much to give him a headache these days, which is ironic considering he had the surgery in the first place to get rid of his headaches. He snorted just thinking about it and Harry gave him a quizzical look. Niall explained his thinking and Harry smiled at him while shaking his head.

“I guess it is a bit ironic, yeah, but the good news is, once you’re completely healed the headaches will be gone for good,”

Niall hums and turns his head on the pillow to look at Harry, “Good Morning. Sleep well?”

Harry grins and moves in close to Niall, tucking his head in the crook of Niall’s neck, “So well. Just having you here next to me makes all the difference in the world. I hate sleeping without you. I usually just fell asleep in one of the twins beds or I’d go in with Kate or Nori while you were in the hospital. Pretty sure Charlie tried to kick me out of his bed one night. I woke up hanging off the edge and he was spread out like a starfish.”

“That’s my boy!” Niall laughed, leaning in to quickly kiss Harry when he lifted his head and had a pout on his lips, “I miss my boys. I know they came to see me in the hospital and everything but I miss getting to do things with them.”

Harry looked at Niall sympathetically and leaned in to kiss him softly, “I know, baby. I know it’s hard to be stuck in bed and not feeling well. You’ll get better soon, though, and then you’ll get back to being the hands on father you’ve always been. One step at a time, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Niall smiled and reached for his husband’s hand on top of the duvet, “Why don’t you go back to sleep for a bit? It’s only six o’clock. The kids won’t be up for school for another hour.”

“Nah. I’m awake now. I won’t get back to sleep. I’ll just lay here with you until it’s time for me to wake the kids up,” Harry said. He picked up Niall’s hand and kissed it, leaving their fingers linked as he manoeuvred himself so that he was laying his head on Niall’s chest, “How are you feeling this morning? You still haven’t said.”

“I’m okay,” Niall absentmindedly ran his fingers through Harry’s hair, “I’m a bit sore still. Also tired and a bit dizzy when I stand up. Everything the doctor said is normal. It feels good to be in my own bed I can tell ya that. I slept so good last night with you wrapped around me.”

Harry smiled, “It felt really good to hold you properly again.”

Niall pauses for a moment, gathering his thoughts for a second, then he kisses the top of Harry’s head and says, “Thank you, darlin’. You know me so well. I didn’t even have to ask - you just got into bed and wrapped your arms around me last night. I really needed that and you just knew.”

Harry lifts his head from Niall’s chest so he can look at him, “I know how hard this has been on you. Not just the physical part of having your head cut open but the emotional and mental part of it all. You tend to act all tough because you worry about me and the kids more than anything but I know you were scared and I know spending all that time in the hospital didn’t exactly bring up warm and fuzzy memories. Usually you’re the one spooning me but I think maybe I can do the spooning for a little while, yeah? You take care of me and the kids flawlessly. Now it’s our turn.”

“I love you,” Niall says, smiling through the tears that out of nowhere started to fall down his cheeks, “Thank God for you and our kids.”

Harry smiled and and kissed the underside of Niall’s jaw lovingly, “I thank God for YOU and our wonderful children every day.”

“Speaking of children...what’s the plan for today? Anything going on?” Niall asked.

“Not a lot. I’ll get up at seven and make the kids breakfast then I’ll take them to school. After that I’m spending the day at home with my beloved husband and baby girl. The twins have football after school so I’ll take them to that then come home and make dinner.” Harry said, the tone of his voice making it very clear how happy those normal activities make him.

“Is Finn home or at Ozzy’s with Jacob?” Niall asked, a small smile on his face at the thought of his second oldest son.

“Finn stayed home last night. He’s so cute, Niall. I know he’s nineteen and a man now but you should have seen him doting over you yesterday when you were asleep. He’s such a daddy’s boy.” Harry said, laughing gleefully.

When Niall got released from the hospital yesterday, just getting to the car and then getting out again and walking upstairs took a lot out of him. He slept most of his first day home and apparently he missed a bit, “What was he doing?”

Harry lifted his head again and grinned, “He kept coming in to see if you were still sleeping, fixing the blanket even though you hadn’t moved to mess it up, making sure your water was near and your medication was all in order. Then he helped me make dinner and helped Nori with her math. He’s going to be a real homemaker someday. He’s like me in that way.”

Niall was so touched by what he just heard. He couldn’t love that boy anymore and be more proud of him if he tried, “I think ‘someday’ will be a lot sooner than we think. He’s already pitching in to help with Jacob while Ozzy is away and it’s obvious he loves it so much. It wouldn’t surprise me if Ozzy asked him to move in by Christmas or early in the new year before he goes on tour.”

“I think you’re right about that,” Harry agreed, “Next year is going to be a challenging year for Finn and Ozzy but I’m not as worried as I would have been a few months ago. I mean, I’ve always known how mature Finn is but he’s really impressed me this year. He’s been handling his knee injury, a new relationship, your surgery, and he’s done it all beautifully. There was that little bump in the road where he turned into a dick after his knee surgery but he conquered that and now here he is stepping up to help his boyfriend out while he’s working over in America.”

“He’s a good boy,” Niall said, “I’ve been pretty impressed myself. Not only with Finn but with Ozzy. He dropped everything to come back here for my surgery, Harry. He rescheduled radio interviews and tv appearances to come back and be here for Finn. That’s - I mean, I’ve been around the music industry ever since I met you. That’s more than twenty-five years and not a lot of people would be willing to do what Ozzy did. If his management hadn’t let him come back he would have gladly let them sue him for Christ’s sake! He was going to be here for Finn no matter what. I have a lot of respect for him and I’m really happy Finn has him.”

“Me too,” Harry said, a fond smile on his face, “I’ve been with Ozzy every step of the way since ‘The Voice’. I’ve watched him grow up from an eighteen year old boy into the man he is now. I couldn’t be any prouder than if he was one of my own kids. I love him to death.”

Niall hummed and closed his eyes, letting his body give in to the sleepiness that was taking over, “H?”

“Yeah baby?” Harry looked at Niall and saw he was falling asleep, “Go to sleep for another couple hours, love. When I get back from bringing the kids to school I’ll bring you tea and toast.”

“Okay,” Niall said sleepily, “Ryanne too. Want to spend the day with my girl now I’m home.”

“Okay. I’ll bring Ryanne in too,” Harry chuckled, “Now get some rest. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Niall said before he drifted back off to sleep.

  
~~~

  
Finn was completely exhausted after his physical therapy this morning. For the first time since his injury he spent his session out on the pitch running drills with his physical therapist. It was nothing too great or anything. They had to start off slow but for the first time in months Finn had a ball in between his feet. He got to jog with it and he got to feel the grass on the pitch underneath his feet. He was out in the fresh air instead of in an exercise room. It was brilliant and he felt completely exhilarated but at the same time he was completely exhausted because having a knee injury meant his cardio had slipped a bit and he wasn’t in game ready shape like he normally is. Once he gets the all clear, though, he’ll start jogging in the mornings like he used to and then running. He’ll get back into shape in no time.

He took a shower in the locker room and got dressed in skinny jeans and a blue button up shirt. He towel dried his hair, gathered up his bag, wallet and phone, then began the walk to the car park and his car. He looked at his phone while he was walking and saw he had a missed call from Ozzy. Smiling, he tapped on his boyfriend’s name and lifted the phone to his ear to wait for him to answer.

“Hi, baby,” Ozzy answered on the third ring, his smile evident in his voice, “How’s your morning going so far?”

“Hi, Pet. It’s going pretty good. I’m just walking to my car now. I had PT this morning,”Finn answered, “Saw you called earlier. It’s pretty early in New York.”

“Yeah,” Ozzy laughed, “I was up at four this morning and in sound check by six. I did GMA this morning. I’m in a car now. Just left there actually,”

“How did it go? You sang another new song for this set right?” Finn asked, getting his keys out as he neared his car and hitting the button on the key fob to unlock his door.

“I did, yeah. It seemed to go really well. The band and I killed it. We practiced a lot so I’m glad it paid off. The crowd really seemed to enjoy it anyway,” Ozzy answered.

Finn hummed and opened up his car door, getting in and immediately switching to Bluetooth, “And I bet that crowd stretched for several blocks too. Don’t try and be modest because I’ll see for myself when I get home. I’ll go on twitter and find a link to it.”

Ozzy chuckled and Finn could just picture the little blush on his cheeks from the compliment, “There were a few people there to watch my set, yeah. I’m excited to hear what you think, though. The new song I did was your favourite.”

“Really?” Finn sat up straight in his seat, a huge smile on his face, “Fuck. You sound so good on that song, Oz! I can’t wait to watch it.”

“Call me after you do. I have more interviews today but I’ll call you right back if I can’t answer right away,” Ozzy answered, “Enough about me. Tell me how your PT went? Was it good? You were supposed to do some running and stuff with a ball today.”

“Stuff with a ball,” Finn laughed, “Drills you mean? You sound like you don’t understand the game when you talk like that.”

“Oh shut up. I’ve been up since four in the morning,” Ozzy said, pretending to be grumpy but Finn could hear the fondness in his voice.

Finn laughed again, his eyes on the road in front of him now that he was driving. He pulled out of the car park and started heading home to Chelsea while filling Ozzy in on his PT. “It was really good actually. After months of being stuck in a room and making slow but steady progress with my PT, it felt really good to get outside on the pitch. The air was cool and crisp, the sun came out a few times, and yes I got to do stuff with a ball. I’m really happy with my progress.”

“Sounds like you’re doing really good, baby. What does your therapist and doctor say?”

Finn grinned widely as he inched along in the busy lunchtime London traffic, “They’re cautiously optimistic. So far my knee is holding up as it should, my MRI’s are showing that it’s structurally strong so they both feel I should be able to play football at top form again as long as I keep taking my PT slowly and one step at a time.”

“Oh God that’s great news, Finn. I know how much your career means to you. I’m so happy for you, baby,” Ozzy said, the sincerity very evident in his voice.

“Well it’s not a done deal yet,” Finn rushed to say, “But yeah, I’m going to do everything they tell me and I won’t overdo it so I’m choosing to be cautiously optimistic as well.”

“Well I’ve got my fingers crossed for you. I truly believe I’ll be seeing you back out there on the pitch next year and I plan to be right there cheering you on,” Ozzy said.

“I love you, ya know?” Finn says as he stops at a red light, “More than anything. Just having your support makes me stronger than I ever thought I could be.”

There’s a bit of noise in the background and a voice Finn doesn’t recognize. He waits patiently for a moment then Ozzy is talking again, his voice muffled a bit, “I’m at my next interview now so I’ve got to go but before I do just know that I love you, too, so much and I miss you like crazy. I’ll call again later.”

Finn smiled and said goodbye to Ozzy, hanging up the phone and asking Siri to call his Pop. He talked to him for a minute, just to ask if he needed anything brought home, and when his Pop said he didn’t need anything they hung up and Finn made the rest of the drive home with a big smile on his face.

  
~~~

  
Harry was in a great mood. The best mood. He had spent the whole day with his husband who was finally home from the hospital and seemed to be doing pretty well. They sat together in bed playing with their seven month old daughter, Ryanne, and Harry got to watch Niall’s face light up with pure joy just because he got to hold his baby girl and feed her a bottle after almost two weeks away from her in the hospital.

Then, just after lunch, Finn came home from his PT session and joined them on the bed, bringing his laptop with him and finding a link for them to watch Ozzy’s performance on GMA that morning. The three of them were in awe of Ozzy’s raw talent and Harry couldn’t hide the huge grin on his face as he watched his son watch his boyfriend on the screen.

Niall fell asleep shortly after and Finn took over taking care of Ryanne so Harry could go pick up the twins from school and bring them to their football match. Matty and Charlie did amazing as always and Harry cheered them on from the stands like he always did. It really was a perfect day...until they had gotten in the car ten minutes ago and the twins decided to let loose and become bloody terrors.

“Charles Benjamin Horan,” Harry said in a stern voice, “This is the third and final time I will tell you to stop kicking the back of my seat. One more kick and you can forget any video game time after your homework is done. You’ll be going straight to bed after dinner. Do you understand me?”

Charlie didn’t answer him but when Harry looked in the rearview mirror he saw his son sitting with his arms folded across his chest, a grumpy look on his face, and his legs completely still in front of him. Harry would have liked some acknowledgement but he’s raised enough kids to know to pick his battles at this point. The kicking stopped. If Charlie wanted to sit there grumpily it was fine with Harry.

Of course the calm and silence didn’t last long. It only took three minutes for Matty to ask Harry if they could stop for ice cream. When Harry politely said no and said maybe they could do that on Saturday, Matty screamed bloody murder and started kicking the passenger seat and demanding they stop for ice cream. This got Charlie going, of course, and he joined in - once again kicking the back of Harry’s seat.

“Matty!! Charlie!! What did I just say? What did I say about kicking the back of the seats? You’ve both just lost your video game privileges for today. You will do your homework, you will have dinner with the rest of us, then you will go to bed. Do you understand me?” Harry said sternly, trying to discipline his children while keeping his eyes on the road.

“Papa!!” Matty yelled indignantly, “That was Charlie you told that to. I only kicked the seat once! That’s not fair!”

Harry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose when he stopped at a red light. He took a deep breath and looked at his kids in the rearview mirror, “It is very fair, Matty, since your tantrum over ice cream is what prompted your brother to start kicking my seat again. You’re both misbehaving and you’re both not listening to me so you’re both losing your video game privileges. Now if you’d like to keep arguing with me I can make sure you lose your privileges for a week if you like?”

Both twins shouted and Matty started crying, kicking the seat one last time before shouting, “I hate you, Papa! I hate you! You’re no fair! I want my Daddy! My daddy wouldn’t be so mean!”

Harry didn’t respond, just bit down on his bottom lip to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. He knew Matty didn’t mean it. He knew Matty was just upset because he was being punished. That didn’t make it hurt any less though. Hearing your child say they hate you is never easy but he knew he had to put that aside right now and concentrate on parenting his children. He had a feeling now that he knew why they were acting out and he needed to talk to them about it. First he needed some time to calm down, though, and think about what he wanted to say.

Harry pulled into the driveway a few minutes later and the twins wasted no time jumping out of the car and slamming the doors behind them, “Hey! Get back here please,” Harry called out as the twins ran for the door. When they didn’t immediately stop he brought out the stern voice, “Matthew Thomas Horan. Charles Benjamin Horan. Get back here right now, get your backpacks from the back seat, then close the doors normally and walk into the house. Do not try my patience anymore because you won’t like the outcome.”

The twins both huffed and puffed but they dragged themselves back to the car, got their backpacks, close their doors gently, then walked into the house, all while glaring at Harry like he was the most evil person they’d ever met. Nevertheless, Harry tells them thank you as they walk past him, getting nothing but a huff from Charlie that Harry would have found adorable if he wasn’t exhausted and frustrated right now.

Harry walks into the house behind the twins and immediately hears them both talking loudly at once. He sighs and walks quickly towards the noise, finding them in the living room complaining about him to a wide eyed Finn, “Matty, Charlie, your Dad is sleeping upstairs. Keep the noise down please. I want you both working on your homework before dinner.”

Matty rolls his eyes but Charlie stomps his foot and yells, “NO! I want to see Daddy. I’m telling him how mean you are and he’ll be on our side!”

Harry has to take another deep breath before he speaks. The twins have never spoken to him this way before. Never. “I can promise you your Dad will agree with me about the no video games punishment but we can’t ask him right now because he’s sleeping.”

“All he ever does is sleep! He always misses our footie matches, he never plays with us, and he leaves us with you and you’re being mean!” Charlie screamed, tears filling his eyes and rolling down his cheeks.

“CHARLIE - “ Harry begins to yell, finally losing his patience but Finn steps in front of him and grabs him by the shoulders.

“Hey. Pop. Why don’t you go upstairs and check on Dad and Ryanne? They’re both napping. I’ll supervise the homework. They’ll be fine here with me,” Finn says, squeezing his shoulders gently.

Harry takes a deep breath and looks into his son’s eyes, letting the calmness there settle him down a bit. He nods his head and smiles softly, pulling Finn into a quick hug, “Okay. Thank you. There’s no video games. No matter what they say. Homework only.”

“Don’t worry, Pop. I can be tough when I have to be,” Finn chuckled, “Now go. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Harry nodded and looked at the twins, “Your brother is in charge. He’ll help you with your homework if you need it. Listen to him please.”

The twins don’t answer but Harry wasn’t really expecting them to anyway. He walks past them and heads upstairs, first stopping in the nursery to see Ryanne was still fast asleep, spread out with her arms above her head and looking cute as ever. Harry grins and takes his phone from his pocket, taking a picture before closing it and putting it back in his pocket.

“Sleep well my little beauty,” Harry whispers, blowing her a kiss as he walks out of the room and quietly closes the door behind him. He walks across the hall to his and Niall’s bedroom and smiles when he opens the door and sees that Niall is awake, “Hi, baby. I figured you’d still be asleep.”

Niall sat up in bed, propped up with pillows behind his back and his phone in his hand, “Hey, darlin’. I was asleep. I woke up to loud banging and what sounded like the twins yelling? I was about to text you to see if everything is okay but I heard you come upstairs so I waited. What’s going on?”

The smile dropped from Harry’s face and he immediately felt all his frustration come to a head. His eyes filled with tears, his nose started to sting from trying to hold them in, and when he opened his mouth to say something all that came out was a choked sob that had Niall’s eyes widening and had him throwing the duvet off his legs and getting up off the bed to come to Harry.

“No!” Harry choked out as the tears started to flow freely down his cheeks, “Niall. Don’t - don’t get up. Your head.”

Niall walked up to him with a look of concern on his face and in his eyes. He cupped Harry’s cheeks with both hands and gently brushed tears away with his thumbs, “My head is fine, darlin’. My heart isn’t, though, because the man I love is clearly upset and crying in front of me and that breaks my heart. Talk to me. Please? I promise you I’m fine and on the mend. It’ll stress me out more if you don’t talk to me.”

Harry sniffled and tried his best to give Niall some semblance of a smile. It must have been horrific because Niall snorted and pulled him into a warm hug and Harry couldn’t help but giggle at the mess he has become, “Oh darlin’. What would I ever do without you? Even when you’re ugly crying you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I love you so much, ya know? Whatever has got you upset we’ll handle it together and if I get tired or feel sick or something I promise to let you know immediately and let you take care of me. How’s that?”

Harry let out a little laugh and stepped back to wipe his hands over his cheeks, “You know I’ll never turn that down. Love taking care of my family.”

Niall grinned, “I know you do. Come over and sit on the bed with me.” Niall took Harry by the hand and led him over to their bed where he grabbed some tissues from on the bedside table and handed them to Harry. They both got under the duvet and sat with their backs propped up with pillows, Niall with his arm around Harry’s shoulders, “What’s happening with Matty and Charlie? Are they okay?”

Harry nodded, wiping at his face with a tissue, “They’re fine physically. When we got in the car after football this afternoon they just started acting out. Charlie wouldn’t stop kicking my seat so after the third time I told him if he did it again he’d lose his video game privileges for tonight. Then Matty wanted ice cream but I said no because I needed to get home and make dinner and they have homework to do. I told him Saturday might be a better day for that and he just blew up, started kicking the seat in front of him then Charlie started again. I took away both their video game privileges at that point and Matty didn’t think that was fair so he screamed at me and told me he hates me.”

“Oh darlin’ no, he doesn’t hate you. He loves you so much. I promise you. He’s just mad because you took away his video games,” Niall said softly, pressing his lips to Harry’s forehead.

“I know,” Harry nodded, “I do. It still hurts though. Then it only continued when we got inside. They think I’m mean and that you would never take away their video games - “

Niall snorted, “I would have done worse! I would have taken them away for a whole week, not just one night. I don’t know where they got that idea.”

Harry turns to face Niall, a sad smile on his face, “They miss you. I’m pretty sure that’s why they’re acting out. Charlie went off on you saying all you do is sleep and you keep missing footie and you left them with me and I’m mean. I think - I think the surgery has been rougher on them then we thought. When Charlie said all that I got so upset and was ready to yell back at him but Finn stepped in and he’s helping them with homework now. That’s when I came up here and my frustrations boiled over and I started to cry. I’m sorry. You’re supposed to be resting and I can’t even handle our children on my own. I let them wake you up and - “

“Harry. Don’t you dare apologize to me, okay? You’re a wonderful father to our children. You didn’t let them wake me up or anything like that. They’re acting out and by the sounds of it they’d easily try any parents patience right now. If you’re going to blame yourself then you have to blame me too because it’s just as much my fault. Maybe we shielded them too much? Maybe we should give them some credit and explain to them a bit more what happened and what’s going to be happening for awhile. Our babies are probably a lot stronger than we think,” Niall says, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind Harry’s ear, “There’s been a lot happening lately. Maybe it’s been too much change and not enough information.”

Harry nodded, biting down on his bottom lip as he looked at Niall, “What do you want to do?”

Niall smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss, “Well first of all your video game punishment still stands because no matter what’s going on they know it’s wrong to act the way they acted. We can’t just let them get away with it.”

“I agree with that,” Harry says.

“And second, why don’t you go wash your face and get yourself together and I’ll text Finn to ask him to tell the twins to come up so we can talk to them?” Niall suggests.

Harry takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, “Okay. Are you sure you’re up for it right now?”

“Definitely. I miss my boys too. After we talk I want to keep them here with me. They can finish their homework and I’ll sit here with them while you’re making dinner. It’ll be good,” Niall smiled reassuringly at Harry.

“Okay,” Harry got up from the bed and smiled down at Niall, “Maybe you’re right and we have coddled them too much. I’m going to take your lead on this because to be honest my head is just spinning right now. I feel so overwhelmed and - “

Niall reaches for Harry’s hand and squeezes it gently, “I know, darlin’. You’ve spent the past two weeks taking care of our kids while still visiting me in the hospital, probably barely sleeping, and constantly worrying. It’s quite alright if your brain has turned to mush. We can use mine. I’ve just had the mush taken out.”

Harry burst out laughing and leaned down to give his husband another hug, “I love you so much, Niall Horan. Thank you for always having my back.”

Niall laughed and reached around to tap Harry on the bum, “Always darlin’. We’re in this together. Now go on and get cleaned up. I’ll wait until you’re done to text Finn.”

Harry nodded and stepped into the en suite to wash his face with cold water and brush out his hair a bit. It looked like a bird’s nest from all the times he has run his hands through it over the past hour. Once he was satisfied he looked decent and his face was no longer red, he went back out into the bedroom and Niall texted Finn to bring the twins up.

It only took about two minutes before the bedroom door opened and the twins came running in, Finn behind them with a backpack in each hand, “Daddy!!” Matty and Charlie yelled together as they ran toward the bed. They both stop at the bottom of the bed and looked at Niall anxiously, “Are we allowed to come up?” Charlie asked, his blue eyes wide as he stared at Niall.

“Of course you can,” Niall chuckled, “Just don’t be rough okay? Daddy has a sore head and I can’t bump it or it’ll hurt more.”

“Okay!” Matty said, then both boys got up on the bed and crawled up and into Niall’s open arms.

“I’ve been missing you boys so much,” Niall said, holding a twin in each arm and kissing the tops of their heads, “It’s no fun being in the hospital. I’m happy to be home.”

Both twins cuddled in close to Niall, burying their faces in his t-shirt almost shyly, “We miss you so much, Daddy. You don’t come see us play footie anymore. It’s not fair.” Matty said sadly.

“I know, baby,” Niall said sadly, sharing a look with Harry, “I’m very sorry about that. I want you to know it’s not because I don’t want to be there. I miss going to your matches so much but you remember Daddy had an operation at the hospital right? You came to visit me after school everyday.”

The twins nodded their heads sadly, Charlie speaking this time, “Yes. You had a - a bump in your head and the doctor took it out. That’s why you had to shave your head.”

Niall chuckled and ran a hand over his head that was now starting to sport prickly hair as it started to grow back. He looked over at Harry who was looking at him with a soft smile on his face and remembered the first time he got to see his head when the bandages came off. He was horrified at how huge his head looked without a head full of hair but Harry was right there to shush him and assure him he loved him no matter what and that was enough to settle Niall. His husband loved him no matter what he looked like and he was alive to continue being with his family. In the end that’s all that mattered.

Now, Niall shuffled around a bit and encouraged the twins to sit up. He tipped his head forward and told them to have a look at the back of his head, “Do you boys see that nasty looking scar?”

“Yes,” Both twins whispered together, sounding a bit in awe, “Does it hurt, Daddy? Can I touch it?” Matty asked.

Niall nodded, “Go ahead but be very gentle, okay?” Matty nodded then slowly lifted his hand, his fingers barely touching Niall’s scar, “That’s where the doctor made her cuts so she could go inside and take out the bump, as you call it.”

“But it doesn’t hurt?” Matty asked with wide eyes while Charlie took his turn tracing the scar with his fingers.

“It was a little sore at first but mostly now it just gets a bit itchy because it’s healing,” Niall explained, “Still, whenever someone has an operation on their head it’s a very serious thing. Your skull protects your brain remember? That’s why Papa and I always make sure you’re wearing your helmets when you ride your bikes outside. If you hit your head hard enough it can hurt your brain and your brain controls your body. Do you understand?”

Matty and Charlie looked at each other then back at Niall, nodding their heads, “Your brain tells your body to breathe. We learned that in school,” Matty said.

“That’s right!” Niall says with a proud smile on his face, “Do you remember what else?”

“Uh huh,” Charlie nods his head, “Our teacher says your brain sends messages to the rest of your body through your spine. So when you move your arm it’s because your brain sent the message and it happens really fast.”

Niall looks at Harry again and sees the same proud look on his face that was on his own. It may not be perfect or explained the way a medical professional would explain it but it was right and Niall was so proud of his boys. They were so much smart and Niall loved them so much.

“That’s exactly right,” Niall smiles at his boys and pulls them in close again, “So, since I had to have an operation on my head it means I have to be extra, extra careful I don’t bump it. I have to give it time to heal so my brain doesn’t get hurt. That’s why I sleep a lot and stay in bed. In a few weeks I’ll be all healed and then I’ll be able to go to your footie matches again and play with you. Everything will be normal again. Do you understand?”

The twins both nodded and looked up at him with wide blue eyes, “We understand, Daddy. We’ll help take care of you. Won’t we, Matty?”

“Yes. We love you, Daddy,” Matty said, wrapping his arms around Niall and burying his face in Niall’s shirt.

Niall squeezed both boys to his chest and kissed both their heads, “I love you both so much. You boys are very special to me and your Papa. We had no idea how much we’d fall in love with you when we got you. It was the best surprise of our lives.”

“It definitely was,” Harry added quietly, reaching over and gently brushing Matty’s hair from his face, “I know you boys aren’t very happy with me right now but I do love you - more than anything.”

Niall let go of the twins and made sure they were sitting so he could look at both of them, “That brings me to the other thing I wanted to talk to you boys about. Earlier I heard you yelling downstairs. When I asked your Papa about it he told me he took away your video game privileges for today and you didn’t agree with that. Would one of you like to tell me what happened?”

Matty and Charlie were both looking at Niall but now they both looked down at the bed, their cheeks red and guilty expressions on their faces.

“Matty? Charlie? I’m waiting for an answer,” Niall says, his voice calm but firm.

Charlie picked at the duvet by his feet, avoiding eye contact with Niall when he spoke, “Papa said we can’t play any video games at all today and we didn’t like it.”

Niall’s lips quirked as he tried not to smile at his boys in front of him. They refused to make eye contact, they were fidgety as hell, and they clearly knew they did something wrong. They were unbelievably cute but as much as Niall wanted to gather them up and kiss all over their faces, he had to be a parent right now and make sure his kids knew they couldn’t treat Harry badly just because Niall was out of commission for awhile.

“Yes. I get that you didn’t like it. Are you telling me you didn’t do anything wrong then? You weren’t kicking the car seats after Papa asked you three times to stop? And Matty you didn’t throw a tantrum when Papa told you you could go for ice cream on Saturday instead of today?” Niall asked gently, ducking his head to try and make eye contact with them.

After a full minute of silence, Charlie lifted his head and looked at Niall sadly, “I was bad. I was mad because you kept missing football so I was kicking Papa’s seat. I’m sorry.”

Niall smiled and reached out to cup his son’s cheek, “Thank you, baby, but it’s not me you need to apologize to is it?”

Charlie shook his head and turned to look at Harry, “I’m sorry for being bad, Papa. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Matty nodded along with his brother and launched himself into Harry’s arms, “I’m sorry too, Papa. I don’t hate you. I love you very, very much. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”

“My babies,” Harry cooed, gathering Charlie into his arms, too, and hugging the both of them tightly, “Thank you for apologizing. I love you both so much. Charlie you’re not bad, baby, you just had a bad day. You’re both good boys.”

“They are good boys. The best boys in the world!” Niall agreed, scooting closer and sliding an arm over Harry’s shoulders, “Can I ask you boys to do me a favour?”

Matty and Charlie both lifted their heads away from Harry’s chest and looked at Niall, “Okay, Daddy.”

“Like I said, I have to rest for a few more weeks until my head completely heals. I’ll be in bed a lot or on the couch watching telly. I can’t do a whole lot so that means Papa is doing a lot of extra work around here. He does it because he loves me and you and our whole family very much and he loves doing things for us. That doesn’t mean we can’t help him, though, so I want you boys to do what your Papa asks from now on okay? You’re both big boys now - you just turned seven so you’re big enough to help out around here. Can I count on you?” Niall asked, smiling at his kids.

“Okay, Daddy!!” Charlie said, a big smile forming on his face, “We’ll help, won’t we, Matty?”

“Uh huh,” Matty nodded, grinning up at Harry, “We can help you, Papa, and Daddy too. We can bring him snacks!”

Harry laughed and leaned down to kiss Matty on the nose, “I’m sure Daddy will love that.”

“I would,” Niall agreed, “Right now, though, I’d love for you to stay up here with me so I can help you with your homework. I want to see what you’re doing in school right now. Papa will call us when dinner is ready.”

The boys nodded eagerly and got down off the bed so go grab their backpacks from on the floor by the door where Finn left them. Harry looked over at Niall, a happy smile on his face, “Would you like some tea while dinner is cooking my love?”

Niall smiled and pulled Harry in by the shirt, kissing his lips softly and completely ignoring the grossed out noises from the twins, “Yes please. A cuppa would be really lovely right now.”

“Okay,” Harry kissed him one last time and got up from the bed, “I’ll send one of the kids up with it when the kettle is boiled. Have fun with your boys.”

“I will. Thanks darlin’ Love you.”

Harry turned around as he got to the doorway and blew Niall a kiss, “Love you, too.”

 


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everybody!
> 
> I know it’s been awhile since I’ve updated this story. I’ve had writer’s block with this one and have been struggling a lot. I’ve thought about it for a long time and realize it’s because I’ve been writing this series for three years and I’ve just run out of ideas for it. It’s time to move on because I have new ideas and stories I want to write but I can’t do that if this one is weighing me down and stressing me out. So I’m going to come up with a way to finish it. An epilogue clueing everything up maybe. I’ll have to think about it. Please don’t be sad. I love this series but it’s time to move on. I want to spend more time on the ‘Spark’s Fly’ One shots that you all seem to be enjoying. Also I’m writing a new fic about Narry that features Bodyguard Harry so I want to concentrate on that as well. There will be more Narry coming your way don’t worry! I still adore them!
> 
> In the meantime I hope you like this chapter and stay tuned for the ending :)
> 
> I’m on twitter @niallison23

 

 

Niall isn’t going to lie - he’s a nervous wreck right now and he has no idea if it’s him that’s gripping Harry’s hand so tight or if it’s Harry gripping his hand so tight. All he knows is he’s never wanted to vomit so much in his life - not even when he’s piss loaded drunk or hung over.

It’s one week after Niall got released from the hospital and he’s back there now for his first checkup. Not only that, though, he suspects he’ll be getting the results of the analysis on his tumour. Dr. Burgess had said when he was released that she should have the results back by the time he comes in for his first checkup.

“Okay,” Harry takes a deep breath and looks at Niall, “I know I’m not usually the one being calm and reasonable but today I am. We are not going to panic. We’re going to think the best until we hear other wise. One step at a time. If you need treatments we’ll deal with that together. I’ll be by your side no matter what.”

Niall swallowed and nodded, his eyes roaming around Dr. Burgesses office. The shelves were filled with medical books - some Niall couldn’t even pronounce. It was when his eyes fell on every book in the Harry Potter series that he let out a laugh, “Look!” Niall pointed toward the books, “Wasn’t expecting to see those books in here. Look a bit out of place don’t they?”

Harry chuckled a bit, “Yeah, I guess they do.”

“Sorry, darlin’,” Niall says, turning in his chair to kiss Harry’s cheek, “I heard every word you said. I love you very much and it means so much that I have you here with me. That I’ve had you here through everything.”

Before Harry has a chance to say anything, the door opens and Dr. Burgess walked in, the bottom of her white coat swirling behind her, “Niall, Harry. I know how anxious you are so before we even say hello I want to tell you the tumour was indeed benign. There is no cancer.”

Niall is aware of Harry shouting next to him and breaking down sobbing. He turns and reaches for him but Harry is already reaching for him and scooping him up until his feet leave the floor, “Oh my God!” Harry manages to say, “Niall. Oh God, Niall.”

“I know,” Niall whispers, unaware until now that he is also crying. He has his arms wrapped around Harry’s neck so tight he’s practically choking him but Harry doesn’t care because he’s holding Niall just as tight, “I know, darlin’. It’s over. It’s all over. I’m going to keep recovering from this surgery and then that’s it. Back to normal. Oh God what a great thing to get to say. Back to normal.”

Harry laughed and put Niall back down on the floor, kissing him hard on the lips and mixing his tears with Niall’s, “I’ll never be so happy to be normal.”

As they stood laughing and crying all over each other, Niall remembered the Doctor and turned with wide eyes to find her standing behind her desk with a big smile on her face, “We’re so sorry, Doctor. Shit.”

“Don’t apologize, Niall,” Dr. Burgess laughed, “This is why I got into medicine and spent eight long years at school. To help people and get to see them pull through. Honestly I’ve gotten to know you and your family a bit over the last few weeks and I couldn’t have been more thrilled for you all when I got the results in my inbox this morning. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Doctor. For everything,” Niall said, wiping at his cheeks with one hand while holding out his other to shake her hand.

“Yes. Thank you so much, Doctor,” Harry shook her hand as well, “Niall was put into your very capable hands and I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

“It was completely my pleasure,” Dr. Burgess said, the big smile still on her face, “Truly. Now, why don’t we go next door to an exam room and we’ll get you looked at so you two can head on out. I’m sure you want to celebrate. Just make sure no alcohol is involved and it’s nothing strenuous.”

“No worries there, Doctor. All I want is to be home with Harry and our seven month old daughter, Ryanne. Maybe get all our kids over for dinner tonight. I just want to be with my family,” Niall said, smiling fondly at Harry.

“Sounds like a really good idea to me,” The Doctor said, “Now let’s get you checked out.”

They went into an exam room where a nurse took Niall’s blood pressure and then Dr. Burgess asked him a series of questions about how he’s been feeling, if he’s taking all his medications, then she examined the scar on the back of his head to make sure everything was still healing nicely.

“Everything looks good, Niall,” Dr. Burgess smiled while typing something into her iPad. Gone are the days of paper patient charts apparently, “Your blood pressure is good. You lost some weight while in the hospital but now that you’re home I’d say it’s safe to say your appetite is coming back because you’ve gained a pound back. Your incision is still healing like it should and you’re taking your medications so I’m very happy with everything. Keep doing what you’re doing. Rest is important. Weakness and dizziness is still to be expected so don’t overdue it. Let your lovely family take care of you. It’s obvious they’re dying to do so.”

Niall chuckled and stood up to put his jacket back on, “They’ve been doing an amazing job. I’m feeling so much love everyday from Harry and our seven kids. It’s hard for me to just stay in bed all day but I think so far I’ve been a good patient haven’t I darlin’?”

Harry wrapped his arm around Niall’s shoulders and kissed his temple, “You’ve been perfect, baby. You’ve only been home a week though. I give it another week before you’re pouting and cursing like a sailor because you’re stuck in bed.”

Niall gasped and opened his mouth to complain but quickly shut it and grinned sheepishly, “That’s pretty accurate actually.”

Harry and the Doctor laughed then Dr. Burgess closed her iPad and held it in front of her,” Any questions for me?”

Harry shakes his head but Niall has a question. A very important question, “I have one. You have eyes so you can see my husband, Dr. Burgess. When do I get to have sex with this fine looking man again?”

“Niall!!!!” Harry nearly choked on his own spit next to him and smacked him across the chest with his hand.

“What??” Niall turned to look at Harry, “Excuse me but when you had your head bashed in by a rogue stage light and had surgery on your head, I seem to remember you calling the surgeon in L.A. to find out when we could have sex again and then you accosted me on the couch.”

“Oh my God,” Dr. Burgess laughed, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. She waved the hand holding her iPad in the air in apology, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just - the professional in me is trying to remain professional but the teenage girl in me who first started to adore Narry as a teenager is enjoying your banter very much.”

Harry and Niall both laughed and Niall said, “Don’t worry about it, Doctor. We won’t say a word. Our lips are sealed. Be as unprofessional as you want.”

The Doctor laughed, “You two certainly haven’t changed much since I was a teenager. It’s been a true pleasure to meet you. Now, to answer your question. Sex is considered strenuous activity so I’m afraid you’ll need to abstain for eight weeks at least. We’ll reevaluate at that time. Your head was cut open and a tumour removed. That’s a big deal.”

Niall grumbled and folded his arms over his chest, “Can I at least snog the man?”

“I think kissing is okay, yes,” The Doctor laughed, “As long as it doesn’t lead to anything more.”

Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed one of Niall’s arms, pulling it away from his chest and taking his hand, “Don’t worry, Doctor, I’ll keep him in line.”

“See that you do,” Dr. Burgess says, “Call me if you have any questions or something comes up you’re not sure about. You have my number. Hopefully I won’t see you until your next checkup though.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Both Niall and Harry said, shaking her hand. They bid her a good day then were on their way home, walking down the hallway hand in hand with big smiles on their faces.

  
~~~

  
Finn breathes heavy as he moves over his boyfriend, fucking him deep and slow and relishing in the noises Ozzy was making, in the way his fingers tugged at Finn’s hair, “Missed you,” Finn whispered, his teeth grazing Ozzy’s earlobe.

Ozzy ran his hands down Finn’s back, grabbing his ass and trying to pull him even closer, “Finn,” He gasped when Finn started kissing his neck and down over his pecs, sinking his teeth into the flesh beside his nipple, “Fuck. Baby...it’s so good to be home.”

“Yeah?” Finn whispered, a small smirk on his face, “You miss me?” He asked after a particularly hard thrust that had Ozzy moaning and throwing his head back, “Or my cock?”

Ozzy moaned again as Finn picked up the pace a bit, digging his fingernails into Finn’s back and leaning up for a filthy kiss. “Can’t I miss both?”

Finn laughed and smirked down at his boyfriend, “Of course you can, Pet, but with the noises you’re making right now I’d say you really missed my cock a lot. Hm? You missed how I fill you up and make you come so hard didn’t you?”

“Oh fuck,” Ozzy cursed, sweat dripping down his face as Finn continued to fuck into him, “I missed you so much, Finn. I need you, baby. Fuck me harder. Please. There’s nobody here. I want you to make me scream.”

Finn faltered for a minute, getting caught up in the look of passion and love, neediness and want, in Ozzy’s bright green eyes. His boyfriend is so beautiful, so sexy - sometimes Finn can’t even believe he gets to be with him, that Ozzy is his.

“You okay?” Ozzy asked, cupping Finn’s cheek with his hand and running his thumb over his bottom lip.

Finn smiled softly and pressed his lips to Ozzy’s in a gentle kiss, “I just love you that’s all. Also, I love when you talk like that.”

Ozzy through his head back, laughing loudly, “Well alright then, get to work. Fuck me.”

Finn didn’t waste anymore time. He began to move his hips again, fucking his boyfriend fast and hard, only getting more and more turned on by the noises he was getting out of Ozzy. Every moan or curse word out of his mouth went straight to Finn’s dick and he found himself moving faster, pounding into his boyfriend over and over again as he got closer.

“Oh fuck!” Ozzy panted, gasping for breath, “If you - if you keep hitting right there I’m - oh God, I’m going to come. Fuck baby, don’t stop!”

Finn didn’t stop. He kept going faster and harder, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the room along with their grunts and moans. It was hot, it was sweaty, it was sexy, and it was mind blowing. It was incredible sex with someone he’s in love with and it’s on that thought that Finn cries out - spilling into the condom inside his boyfriend.

“Oh my God!” Ozzy moans, then he’s right behind Finn, coming onto his own abdomen.

As soon as Finn manages to pull out, remove the condom, and tie it off, he collapses on top of Ozzy with Ozzy’s legs still wrapped around him. They’re both covered in sweat, both heaving and gasping for breath, and Ozzy’s come is drying between their stomachs. Finn had never been more in love in his life.

“Wow,” Ozzy whispers, giggling and running his fingers through Finn’s wet hair, “I guess we have that to look forward to every time we reunite after one of us goes away for a bit.”

Finn laughed and hid his blushing cheeks by burying his face in Ozzy’s neck, “I’d rather we never have to be apart but since it’s a given I like that we can look forward to this.”

Ozzy wrapped his arms around Finn and kissed his head. They stayed like that until their breathing returned to normal then they grabbed a quick shower together before heading back to Ozzy’s bed and climbing under the covers naked, “I want to talk to you about something,” Ozzy says, tangling his legs with Finn’s under the blankets, “I think this is as good a time as any.”

Finn lifts his head from Ozzy’s chest and looks into his boyfriends eyes, “Everything okay, Pet?”

“Yeah,” Ozzy smiled, that soft smile that made Finn weak in the knees, “More than okay. I was just thinking and...I’d really love it if we moved in together. Officially. Would that be something you’re interested in? Don’t worry about hurting my feelings. You can be honest with me. If you want to wait a bit longer that’s okay.”

Finn didn’t even have to think about it. He wanted this. He definitely wanted this, “I’m very interested,” Finn said, grinning down at his boyfriend, “What were you thinking? Do you want me to move in here?”

Ozzy was smiling so big his dimples were showing, “Actually...I was thinking we wait until after Christmas. That way your Dad will be back on his feet and won’t need your help anymore, plus everything is always hectic with Christmas preparations. I was thinking in January we could start looking for a house together. What do you think?”

“I love it!” Finn bursts out before Ozzy even finishes talking. Both men laugh, then Finn continues, “Thats perfect. We’ll have time to look for something and hopefully find what we want before you go on tour.”

“That’s my hope,” Ozzy said, “The only thing is, if we don’t find something before I go it’ll all fall on your shoulders. I don’t like that.”

Finn kissed his boyfriend and brushed a thumb over his cheek, “If it comes to that I won’t mind. I promise. Hopefully I’ll be back playing footie by then but I’ll have time between matches every week to look for houses. I think our best bet is to hire a realtor to do it all for us actually. We can find someone now and have them start looking for when we’re ready.”

“That’s a brilliant idea!” Ozzy’s face lights up, “One thing I want is a house that has a separate apartment for Kara. That way she can come and go as she pleases when she’s not watching Jacob and have friends or a boyfriend over and have her privacy. I also want something big. Something for a family one day. I don’t want to be buying and selling houses every three years like some celebrities. I want to buy something I’ll stay in for a very long time.”

Finn’s smile kept getting bigger and bigger the more Ozzy talked and his face was starting to hurt, “That sounds perfect, Pet. So perfect. My God this is so exciting!”

“Isn’t it?” Ozzy said, sounding just as excited as Finn, “I know we haven’t been together for a year yet but I just know what I want and I want to be with you and Jacob. With our careers we won’t always get to be together so when we _are_ together I want a place that’s just our own ya know?”

Finn pressed his lips to Ozzy’s, kissing him tenderly over and over again, “Yeah,” He whispered, “I do know.”

Ozzy loosely wrapped his arms around Finn’s neck and looked into his eyes lovingly, “We can discuss this more in the coming weeks yeah? Our first priority is making sure your Dad recovers fully after his surgery.”

“I love you,” Finn said, feeling himself getting choked up, “You’re amazing. Putting my Dad first when you don’t have to. Not a lot of people would do that.”

“I would do anything for you, Finn. I know how much you love your Dad and ya know, I love him too. Over the past year of getting to really know him he’s treated me like a son. There was no hesitation. Harry treats me like a son and Niall jumped right on board. Your parents are both really important to me.” Ozzy says, his fingers slowly combing through Finn’s hair.

“Speaking of my parents, everyone stayed home from school today because Dad is getting his test results back. I’m going to head over to my house and wait with them,” Finn said, kissing Ozzy before getting out of bed and walking over to the dresser to get some boxers, “Are you coming with me or do you have some work to do?”

Ozzy sat up in bed and looked at Finn uncertainly, “I don’t know. I think your parents probably just want their kids around when they get home. Just immediate family ya know?”

Finn pulled his boxers up then walked over to the bed. He held Ozzy’s face between both hands and kissed him tenderly, “You are family. You just said yourself my parents treat you like a son. Anna will be there too.”

Ozzy gave Finn a look, “She’s married to Rory and has been for years. That’s different.”

“Petal,” Finn said, looking right into Ozzy’s eyes, “Do you trust me?”

“What? Of course I do! What does that have to do - “

“Then trust me when I tell you my parents and my siblings will be very happy to have you there. I want you there. I _need_ you there. Okay?” Finn says softly, his eyes never leaving Ozzy’s.

Ozzy nodded and wrapped his hands around Finn’s wrists, “Okay, baby, I’ll come with you. Let’s get dressed.”

Finn smiled at his boyfriend then the two men got dressed in jeans, t-shirts and jumpers to help ward off the cold. Once they were ready they got their coats on and walked hand in hand toward the car, Finn noticing a couple of paps outside the gate, “Paps,” he murmured to Ozzy.

“Oh yeah?” Ozzy murmured, “Let’s give them a show then,” Ozzy pulled Finn into his arms and brought him into a kiss, Finn unable to kiss back much because he was laughing so hard. When Ozzy pulled back he planted one last kiss to Finn’s nose then opened the passenger door to Finn’s SUV and waited until he was inside to close it.

“You’re crazy!” Finn laughed once Ozzy got in on the driver’s side, “But I love you so much so I guess I’m crazy too.”

Ozzy laughed and started the car, “I just wanted to be on the front page of the Daily Mail tomorrow. Gotta show off my hot boyfriend. They have no idea you just finished wrecking me.”

As they drove through the gate and onto the road, the paps got a shot of Finn with his head thrown back laughing. Only he and Ozzy knew the real reason why.

  
~~~

  
The whole drive home from the hospital, Harry drove with a huge smile on his face and Niall sat in the passenger seat looking at him and thinking to himself ‘How did I get so lucky to get the most gorgeous man in the world - inside and out?’ It was a question Niall asked himself a million times since the day he first met Harry, and he’d probably keep asking for the rest of his life.

“You’re so beautiful, ya know?” Niall whispered, not even realizing what he said and that he’d said it out loud until Harry glanced at him with a bashful smile on his face.

“Where did that come from?” Harry asked, stopping at a red light and looking at Niall with such a soft smile on his face.

Niall shrugged and reached over to thumb over one of Harry’s dimples, “I don’t know. I was just thinking about how lucky I am. You’re gorgeous, Harry. Your smile still makes my heart stutter all these years later. If someone told me when I was a teenager I’d marry someone like you one day, I would have laughed in their face. Have I ever told you before that there have been days over the years where I’ve been grumpy or had a bad day at work and your smile has been what’s brought me out of it?”

Harry started driving when the light turned green, glancing briefly over at Niall while biting down on his bottom lip and trying to keep from grinning too much, “I think you may have mentioned it a time or two, yeah, but I don’t mind hearing it.”

“I love you, darlin’,” Niall said, getting choked up a little, “And I - and I thank god that I’m okay.” Niall had to stop talking for a minute because he was too choked up. Harry didn’t rush him, just stayed quiet and rested his hand on Niall’s thigh, letting him know he was listening when Niall was ready to talk.

By the time Niall got control of himself, Harry was pulling into the driveway and shutting off the car, “Sorry, darlin’, I just - I tried to be positive for you guys and for myself but sometimes I was so scared. I don’t want to die yet. I have too much to live for.”

Harry’s eyes filled with tears and he reached over the middle console and pulled Niall into a hug, “Oh, baby. I was scared too. I was so scared. You’re not going to die, though. There’s no cancer! I’ve never been more thankful in my life.” Harry pulled back and wiped at his eyes and Niall’s cheeks, “Are you ready to go inside and tell our children the good news?”

Niall laughed through his tears and nodded his head, stepping out of the car and meeting Harry in front, linking their hands together and heading up the few stone steps to the front door. When they walked in and closed the door behind them they immediately heard commotion from inside and a moment later, Rory came speed walking into the foyer followed closely by Finn who had Ozzy’s arm around him, Anna who had one arm around Kate and the other around Nori, and the twins who were hovering close to Rory, Finn, and Ozzy.

“Oh no,” Nori whispered when she looked at Harry and Niall’s tear streaked faces, “Oh no, no, no.”

Niall immediately spoke up, realized what his Little Lovey was thinking, “No, Lovey, these are happy tears. There’s no cancer. I’m going to be just fine.”

Everyone immediately erupted. Nori and Kate both started crying and ran to Niall, clinging to him for dear life and telling him how much they love him. Anna went to her husband and Rory hugged her tight, the both of them with tears in their eyes as they watched Niall with his girls. The twins kept yelling ‘Yay, Yay!’ and ran to hug Harry while jumping up and down, and Finn fell into Ozzy’s arms, burying his face in Ozzy’s neck and taking deep breaths to try and keep himself from turning into a blubbering mess.

After five minutes, Kate pulled back from Niall and smacked him on the chest, “For fuck’s sake, Daddy! Coming in here crying! You scared us to death!”

Everyone burst out laughing and Niall pulled her back against his chest, “I’m sorry, my little Sunshine. Your Papa and I were just so happy we got all sappy in the car.”

“This is true,” Harry confirmed, “And don’t think I didn’t just hear that F bomb, Katherine Elizabeth Horan. You’ll get away with it today but that’s your one free pass for the year.”

Kate thought about it for a moment then grinned and leaned up on her tip toes to kiss Harry’s cheek, “That’s fine. There’s only a month left in the year anyway.”

Everyone burst into happy laughter again, even Harry who rolled his eyes fondly and gently pulled Kate from Niall’s arms and into his own, kissing the top of her head, “There’s no trouble knowing you grew up with your Dad and Rory. You get that cheeky attitude from them.”

Kate grinned up at Harry, “I’m not sorry either.”

Everyone laughed again, then Harry, Kate and Nori moved to the side a bit, letting everyone else get a piece of Niall, “Thank God, Dad.” Rory whispered in Niall’s ear when they hugged, “I’m not ready to be without you yet. I love you.”

Niall held his son close, rubbing his hand soothingly in circles over his back, “I love you, too, Rory. I’m not going anywhere for a very long time hopefully.”

Anna joined in after a moment, hugging Niall and kissing him on the cheek. They talked for a minute in sign language, then she and Rory moved off toward the kitchen where Harry, the girls and the twins went.

“Hey, Dad,” Finn stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his Dad, “Good news. The best news.”

Niall kissed the side of Finn’s head near his ear and squeezed him tight. This is his sweet, gentle, kind boy. His first child with Harry that they got to raise from day one. The little boy who would giggle and smile at him and bring him out of a funk when Harry was on tour. Finn would always, _always_ have a special place in Niall’s heart and just getting to hold him like this, and know he’ll get to keep holding him like this, brought peace to Niall’s heart. “It’s really good news, Bub. This can all be over soon. Once I recover from the surgery.”

Finn pulled back and looked Niall in the eye, “We’re all going to keep helping you recover, yeah? So don’t be trying to do too much too soon. In fact you should probably be sitting down right now after being out all morning.”

Niall gave Finn a deadpan look, “Out. At the hospital. Where medical professionals were looking after me.”

“I don’t care,” Finn says immediately.

Niall makes a face and looks past Finn to Ozzy, “Does he boss you around like this? You’re just like your Pop sometimes, Bub.”

Ozzy laughed and rested a hand on Finn’s back, “If he does I don’t notice it. I’m too head over heels for this guy. I’d probably do whatever he asks me.”

Niall grins and beckons Ozzy over, “Come here, you. It’s good to see you. Thank you for being here.” Niall said as he wrapped Ozzy up in a big hug, “I’ve been watching some of your promo appearances while I’ve been stuck in bed. I laughed so much at SNL I gave myself a headache and was banned from watching telly by Harry for twenty-four hours. I didn’t know you could act!”

Ozzy snorted and stood back, wrapping his arm around Finn’s shoulders again, “I didn’t know I could either. I thought I was crap, to be honest, but the cast of the show kept telling me I was doing awesome. I just went with it and tried to have fun because who knows if I’ll ever be asked back again? Then the next day I watched it back and was shocked. I remember calling Finn and saying ‘I really wasn’t that bad at all’ It was a great experience but I was glad when it was time to pick up my guitar and sing.”

Niall smiled and watched the way Finn easily leaned into Ozzy and practically melted under his touch. His son was happy and found a really good man. Niall couldn’t be happier. “Harry was the same way. He did a little acting here and there but was always the most comfortable on stage with his guitar. He’s really good at acting, though. He did a major film before I met him called ‘Dunkirk’. I’ll never forget the first time I saw it. If you haven’t seen it you should.”

“I haven’t, actually. I don’t think I’ve even heard of it,” Ozzy said, frowning.

Niall chuckled and clapped Ozzy on the shoulder, “It was before you were born, lad. Wait - I have an idea.” Niall headed off toward the kitchen where everyone was, Finn and Ozzy right behind him, “Okay everybody. I’ve decided I’m going to rest in the living room and I hope you will all join me. Also, we’re watching ‘Dunkirk’ because Ozzy hasn’t seen it yet.”

Harry’s eyes widened and he looked at Niall with his mouth hanging open. Rory, on the other hand, started cackling, “You only want to watch because you think Pop is sexy in that film!”

“He _is_ sexy in that film. Struttin’ around in his uniform and being an asshole to everyone. I could watch it all day. Subtitles for you, Anna, don’t worry,” Niall signs to his daughter in law.

“Niallllllll,” Harry whined like he was a child and not an almost fifty year old man, “You know I hate watching myself.”

“You shouldn’t. You’re brilliant in that film. You’re not going to deny me what I want are you? When you’ve all vowed to take care of me? I think I’m feeling a bit faint right now actually,” Niall says, putting a hand on his forehead and sitting down at the kitchen table.

“You are such a little shit,” Harry says, shaking his head at Niall. “You feel perfectly fine right now you asshole.”

“This is spousal abuse,” Niall said while trying not to laugh, “You’re all witness to it.”

Everyone laughed, used to the banter between Niall and Harry by now. Harry stuck his tongue out at Niall which finally made Niall break and start laughing. Harry wasn’t far behind him and soon the whole kitchen was full of loud laughter. It was good. After all the worry and uncertainty, this is exactly what the whole family needed.

“Okay, okay,” Anna holds up her hands to get everyone’s attention. When everybody got quiet, Rory signed for her to go ahead, “Rory and I made turkey soup and sandwiches for lunch. When we’re done eating you lot can watch your film and I’ll take the twins with me to pick up my kids from school since I’m pretty sure they don’t want to watch ‘Dunkirk’. I’ll take all the kids to our place then so they can play. Ozzy, you can let Kara know if you want and she can bring Jacob over when she picks him up.”

“He’d love that actually,” Ozzy signed, “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Are you kidding me?” Anna signed, a huge smile on her face, “I seriously want to adopt that kid. Whenever he’s over playing with my kids he always asks the girls how to sign things so he can sign for me. The first time he did it I cried like a baby when they all left the room. He’s the sweetest boy and he’s welcome in our home anytime.”

“Awww. I didn’t know that,” Harry said, smiling proudly as if Jacob was his own son, “I’m not surprised though. Ozzy is a very good father. Jacob was barely one when I met them and Ozzy was only nineteen but he was already teaching his son to be a kind, caring human being.”

“Okay. Can we stop embarrassing me now?” Ozzy speaks up, his cheeks flushed red. He turns his head and rests it on Finn’s shoulder, trying to hide a bit, which makes Finn coo at him and kiss him on the nose.

“No need to be embarrassed, Pet. Be proud that you have an amazing little boy,” Finn says to Ozzy quietly.

“Jesus. If I had a Guinness in me hand right now I’d say cheers to that!” Niall says, making Harry snort next to him.

“You can have a Guinness in your dreams, my love, because you are not having any alcohol until you’re done your medications and the doctor gives the go ahead,” Harry says sweetly, making Niall roll his eyes.

“Yes, dear, don’t worry. I’ve not been sneaking any beer. I’m being a good boy and following all the rules,” Niall said, patting Harry’s knee, “Now! Let’s get some of this good smelling food on the table. I’m getting my appetite back.”

Eating lunch was a long affair with so many people there. There was a lot of talking, laughing, and joking around and everyone was just so happy they didn’t really want to leave the table. Eventually they did, though, and they went into the living room to put the movie on. Niall sat in the corner of the couch with a blanket over him and Harry curled into his side. Nori and Kate, who also haven’t seen the movie yet, sit next to each other on the other end of the couch. Rory takes the large armchair and reclines it so he can have his feet up. He’s got Ryanne with him who is happily sitting on his lap chewing on a teething ring and Finn and Ozzy are sat together on the love seat - Ozzy’s back to Finn’s chest and Finn’s arm over his shoulders.

The first time Harry appears on screen during the movie, Kate pauses it and looks at her parents, “So this is what Pop looked like when you met, huh?”

Niall laughed and kissed the top of Harry’s head, “Not quite. He had grown his hair long again by the time I met him. You’ve seen all the paparazzi photos from when we first started dating.”

Kate shrugged, “I guess I forgot. I think I’ll do some googling later.”

Harry groaned and hid his face against Niall’s chest, “Just make sure you don’t believe every headline you see. There have been some crazy ones over the years.”

Niall started laughing, remembering one headline in particular, “After we met The Duchess of Cambridge at a charity event and I struck up a friendship with her - the paps got pics of us having lunch at a restaurant one day and next thing I know they’re saying I’m not gay at all and I’m coming between the future King and Queen of England. Thankfully William and Catherine got as big a laugh about it as we did.”

Ozzy shook his head and turned his head to look over at Niall and Harry, “It still boggles my mind when I hear you call them that. Over in America they’re all over the magazines as The King and Queen. I’m pretty sure we all think it’s some sort of sin to refer to them by their first names.”

Niall chuckled and shook his head, “They’re normal just like all of us. They just live by a different set of rules that are a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. The public seems to like it and they’re able to bring awareness to many different issues because of their status.”

Kate turned the movie back on after that and Niall sat with Harry’s warm body against him, gleefully watching his hot husband in his acting debut. It was the perfect afternoon.

  
~~~

  
Niall was just finishing up helping Nori with her maths homework later that night when Harry came in with the twins, “I have two freshly bathed little boys who would like a cuddle from their Daddy before bed.”

Nori kissed Niall’s cheek and gathered her books in her arms, “Thank you, Daddy. It all made so much more sense when you explained it. I’ll come back later and say goodnight if you’re awake. Love you.”

Niall smiled and squeezed his eldest daughter’s hand as she got off the bed, “You’re welcome, Little Lovey. I love you, too.”

Once Nori was gone, the twins climbed up on the bed and snuggled into Niall’s side, “Hi, Daddy,” Matty says, looking up at Niall with big, blue eyes, “You feelin’ okay?”

Niall smiled down at Matty and ran one hand through his soft, blonde hair, “I’m feeling okay, munchkin. A little tired. I think I’ll have bed time the same time as you tonight.”

Both the twins giggle and Charlie says, “You’re silly sometimes, Daddy!”

Niall grins and bends down to assault Charlie’s cheek with multiple kisses before doing the same to Matty, making them both squeal, “It’s alright to be silly sometimes I think. What do you think, Harold?”

Harry got onto the bed and sprawled out like a starfish, his long arms covering Niall and the twins at the top of the bed, “Like this?” He asks, making a face that makes the twins squeal with laughter again, “I definitely think it’s okay to be silly sometimes.”

Niall laughed, “That Papa of yours. He’s got quite the face on him doesn’t he? Handsome as can be.”

The twins reach down to pat Harry’s cheeks and Harry grabs their hands, kissing both of them before getting up again, “Want me to read you a story in here so you can cuddle with Daddy before bed?”

“Yes please!!!” The twins say in unison, so Harry goes to get a book from their bedroom and comes back to get in the bed beside Matty.

Half an hour later the boys are starting to fall asleep so Harry gets them to bed then comes back with Ryanne in his arms to find Niall a bit drowsy too, “Tired, love?” Harry asks, sitting on the bed next to Niall.

Niall smiles tiredly and reaches out for Ryanne. Harry hands her over and Niall cuddles her to his chest, holding onto her hand so she doesn’t accidentally smack him while she’s flailing her arm around, “I am tired, yeah. Think I’ll head to bed now if you don’t mind?”

“Of course not. I’ll be joining you once this one is in bed. Nori and Kate are more than old enough to get themselves to bed. I’ll stop by their rooms and say goodnight,” Harry says, “Want me to get your pills for you?”

“Please,” Niall says, smiling softly at Harry, “I actually wouldn’t mind a cuppa while I watch sports centre before bed. Would you mind?”

Harry leans over to kiss Niall’s lips softly, “It would be my pleasure. I love doing things for you.”

“Thank you, darlin’” Niall smiles, “I’ll cuddle with my little princess for a few minutes.”

Harry kisses Niall again then heads downstairs to make tea. Niall sits back against the pillows and closes his eyes, enjoying the warmth of his baby girl against his chest, enjoying the sound of her breathing and gurgling noises as she seemed to try to say something but was much too young for that yet.

Niall kissed the top of her head and sighed, “Well, Ryanne, it looks like I’m the luckiest man around. I’m going to get to stay here on this Earth and watch you grow up. I’ll see your first steps, head your first words, be there when you fall down so I can kiss your boo boo. Yeah. I’m sticking around, kid, and I plan to be here for a very long time to come.”


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is the end folks! A very massive thank you to every single person who has read this series and supported it. I’ve been writing it for a long time and find myself not having anything left to write so it’s time to clue it up and get to work on my new Narry stories and ‘Spark’s Fly’ One shots. I hope you enjoy this ending and continue to read my Narry content in the future!

 

  **7 Years Later**

  
Finn is early to pick his son up from school. He was out running errands and decided there was no point going home for twenty minutes only to have to go out again. He had plenty to keep him busy on his phone anyway. Like the text that was waiting from his husband that said “Happy Anniversary!”

Finn chuckled and unlocked his phone to reply back. It isn’t their wedding anniversary or even the anniversary of when they first started dating. It is a special anniversary to Finn though. Today is the day Jacob called him ‘Daddy’ for the first time. Seven years ago today. Finn remembers it like it was yesterday.

  
_Flashback_

  
“How are you feeling, Jakey? Excited about seeing our new house?” Ozzy asks from the passenger seat of the car. Finn is driving and they’re on the way to show Jacob the house they bought for the three of them in Chelsea. Not too far from Finn’s parents.

“Yes!” Jacob shouted from his seat in the back, “I’m so excited! I want to see how big my bedroom will be. I need room for my toys you know.”

Finn chuckled and glanced at Jacob in the rear view mirror, “Don’t worry, buddy, there are five bedrooms and they’re all big. You can pick which one you want. How’s that?”

Jacob’s eyes went wide and he gasped, “I get to pick?? Really Finny?”

Finn laughed. He loved this little boy so much and seeing him so happy like this did things to his heart, “Yes, really! Your Papa and I talked about it. We know which bedroom is ours. That leaves four big bedrooms for you to choose from.”

It turns out once they decided to move in together it didn’t take long to find a house to buy. They both weren’t very picky. They just knew they wanted it to be big, with lots of bedrooms and a big backyard, a big kitchen and a big living room. They wanted enough space for a family in the future.

They started looking at houses right away so Ozzy could be involved before he went on his world tour a few months after Christmas. They looked in Chelsea first so they could be near Finn’s parents and also where he plays football. Luckily for them they didn’t have to look any further. For five million pounds they found the perfect place that had a gate for their privacy, a big backyard with a swimming pool, five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a huge living room with a fireplace and a huge kitchen for when they wanted to cook and have people over. There was also lots of space downstairs they could convert into whatever they wanted. If Ozzy wanted to put in a recording studio he could or they could do a game room like Finn’s parents had done. The possibilities were endless and completely up to them. Finn couldn’t be happier.

They soon pulled up to the house where Finn entered the security code to the gate. They pulled into the driveway, got out of the car, then Finn waited while Ozzy helped Jacob out. They met in front of the car and looked up at the large house together, “Are you ready to go inside and have a look, Jacob?”

Jacob grinned up at Finn and bounced up and down on his feet, “Yes! Let’s go!” Jacob shouted, taking off up the steps ahead of Ozzy and Finn.

“I’ve already seen the house more than once yet I’m just as excited as him,” Ozzy said, holding Finn’s hand as they walked up the steps together, “I love this house, baby. I can’t wait to be moved in and spend some time with you both before I go on tour.”

Finn got the keys out and unlocked the door, laughing when Jacob took off into the house ahead of them, “I can’t wait either. It’ll be special because we won’t get to see each other much when you’re on tour. I like knowing that when you’re home you’ll be here with me and Jacob. Neither one of us will have to go to the others house.”

“Exactly,” Ozzy said, tipping his face up for a kiss.

They were still in the entryway kissing when they heard Jacob come running down the stairs screaming, “Papa! Papa! I love it! I love our new house! I picked out my room! It’s so big! Are we really moving in here? Me, you and Daddy?”

At first, Finn wasn’t sure he heard Jacob right. He thought it must be a mistake. He must be hearing things because he wants to be Jacob’s Dad so much. Then he felt Ozzy’s hand grab onto his arm and saw the horrified look on Jacob’s face. The poor baby stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Finn and Ozzy with his mouth hanging open and tears in his eyes. That’s when Finn knew he hadn’t misheard anything.

“I’m - I’m sorry,” Jacob said, his voice sounding tiny and unsure. Tears started to fall down his cheeks and Finn wanted to run to him and scoop him up but he didn’t want overstep. He needed to let Ozzy handle this and follow his lead, “I didn’t mean to say that. I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” Ozzy stepped forward and picked his son up in his arms, “Don’t cry, baby. It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. I promise.”

Jacob sniffled and hid his face in Ozzy’s neck, “I called Finny, Daddy. I don’t want him to be mad at me.”

Finn’s heart broke at hearing Jacob’s words and he rushed forward, making eye contact with Ozzy. Finn didn’t need to say any words to his boyfriend, they’d already discussed the future and if this might happen. He knows from the look in Ozzy’s eyes that what he’s about to say will be okay, “Hey buddy. I could never, ever, hate you. Never in my life.”

Jacob continued to sniffle against Ozzy’s neck so Ozzy kissed his head and rubbed his back, talking softly into his ear, “Finn doesn’t hate you, my darling, he loves you very, very much. Just like I know you love him too, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Jacob whispered, nodding his head but still not lifting it away from Ozzy’s neck.

“Jacob?” Finn placed a hand on Jacob’s back gently, “Can you look at me, love?”

It took a minute but Jacob finally lifted his head away from Ozzy’s neck and looked at Finn, his cheeks red and tear stained and his nose running a little. It absolutely broke Finn’s heart and if there was ever any doubt that Finn would die for this little boy, it was gone now, “Hi, love. Would you like to come sit with me for a minute so I can talk to you? I promise I’m not mad.”

Jacob slowly nodded his head and held out his arms for Finn to take him. Finn didn’t hesitate, taking him from Ozzy and walking further into the house with him. There was no furniture yet so Finn sat on the stairs with Jacob in his lap, Ozzy sitting beside them and taking a tissue out of his pocket to wipe Jacob’s nose.

“Now,” Finn smiled at Jacob and cuddled him close, “I want you to know it’s true what your Papa said - I do love you very much. You’re an amazing little boy and you make me smile and laugh everyday. Every moment I spend with you makes me so happy. Meeting you and your Papa is the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m absolutely not mad at you for calling me Daddy. Okay?”

“Okay,” Jacob said softly, cuddling into Finn and wrapping one arm around his neck.

“Jacob? Can Papa ask you something?” Ozzy asks, his hand on Jacob’s leg, gently rubbing his knee with his thumb. When Jacob nods, Ozzy continues, “Did you call Finn Daddy because that’s how you think of him now? As your Daddy?”

Jacob was quiet for a moment, his face scrunched up while he thought. Finally he nodded, “Yes. Finny takes care of me sometimes when you go to work, Papa. He reads me stories before bed and plays with my toys and brings me to school. I know Kara does too because Kara is my nanny but Finny isn’t my nanny. He’s like you.”

Finn rested his cheek on the top of Jacob’s head and continued to hold him tight, “I love doing all those things for you, Jacob. Spending time with you and your Papa is the highlight of my day. I’m so honoured that you think of me as your Daddy. There’s nothing I would like more than to be your Dad. If that’s okay with you and your Papa.”

Finn already knew it was okay with Ozzy. They had talked about it before, late one night after round two of lovemaking. Ozzy had wondered if this moment would come and what to do if and when it did. They were prepared.

Ozzy smiled softly at Jacob and said, “It’s more than okay with me. What do you think, Jacob? Would you like it if you could call Finn Daddy all the time?”

Jacob nodded and tipped his head back to look up at Finn shyly, “Yes. That would make me very happy.”

Finn smiled down at Jacob and kissed the tip of his nose making the little boy giggle, “It would make me very happy too. I want you to know you can call me Daddy whenever you want but if sometimes you still want to call me Finny, that’s okay too. You do what feels most comfortable to you okay? That’s what matters.”

“Okay, Daddy!” Jacob beamed up at him then threw his arms around him in a hug, “I love you.”

Finn hugged Jacob back while his eyes met Ozzy’s. They were both on the verge of crying, “I love you, too, Jacob. So, so, much.”

  
_End Flashback_

 

Finn is brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his daughter babbling away in her car seat in the back. At only nine months she’s not saying any words yet but that’s okay with Finn. He enjoys listening to her nonsensical babbling.

“Hi, love. You’ve got something to say huh? I bet you’re excited because you know you’re going to see your big brother soon. You love Jacob don’t you, love?”

Finn is interrupted by a knock on the window that makes him jump in his seat. When he looks he sees it’s his Dad and unlocks the car doors while rolling his eyes. His Dad doesn’t get in the front seat though. No. He gets in the back, immediately cooing over the baby.

“Hiya, Lucy! How’s my beautiful little grand baby today hmm? Grampy couldn’t wait to see you when I saw your daddy’s car parked here,” Niall coos at Lucy.

“Well hello there, Dad. Nice to see you. Don’t mind me. I’m just your son. No need to even acknowledge me. I’ll be fine,” Finn jokes, turning in his seat so he can look at his Dad.

Niall looked up and stuck his tongue out at Finn, “Behave, you! This child is my grand baby. I haven’t seen her since Sunday. I need my fix.”

Finn chuckled and rolled his eyes fondly at his Dad, “Sunday was two days ago, Dad. What are you doing here anyway?”

Niall sighs and runs a hand through his greying hair, “Picking up Matty and Charlie from school. They’re grounded so they’re not allowed to walk or take the tube home since they’d find some way to not come straight home.”

“What did they do?” Finn asked, laughing at the look on his Dad’s face.

“We’ve had a week straight of rain so they decided to play footie in the house since the back yard is a soggy mess. We came home to some broken stuff. Your Pop lost his shit. I was the calm one as usual. You know how it goes,” Niall said, shrugging, “Granted, the fancy shit that got broken means nothing to me but it does to your Pop and I support him so they’re grounded. Possibly forever. Your Pop hasn’t decided yet.”

Finn threw his head back, cackling with laughter as he pictured his Pop losing his shit at the twins, “Oh my God!”

“Yeah,” Niall chuckled, his attention back on Lucy, “Ozzy is coming back from L.A. in a few days isn’t he?”

Finn nodded, a smile immediately coming across his face at the mention of his husband. Ozzy is in L.A. for a week having meetings with his record label and taking care of a few other things. This is the first time he’s done any work since Lucy was born. Once he finished his last world tour two years ago he decided to take a break from work because he and Finn wanted to finally add to their family and Ozzy didn’t want to be away from home all the time missing everything. Now that Lucy is nine months old he is slowly going to start working on a new album but he’s going to do it at his own pace and his label agreed to let him do that.

“Yeah. He’ll be back Friday. He’s having a bit of a hard time since it’s his first time away from Lucy. I’ve been FaceTiming him a lot so he can see her,” Finn says, a small smile on his face.

Niall smiles and reaches forward to squeeze Finn’s shoulder, “It’s definitely hard to be away from your children. Your Pop went through it when he went away for work. Why don’t you plan something for the four of you when he gets home? Have a family only weekend. He’ll love that.”

“Yeah. I think I will actually,” Finn slowly nods his head, already thinking of what they can do as a family. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Jacob walking toward the car with Matty and Charlie and points them out to his Dad, “Your delinquents are coming.”

Niall cranes his neck to look out the window and starts cackling, “Good. I can have my fun embarrassing the shit outta them.”

Finn shakes his head as his Dad gets out of the car and walks around the front, holding his arms out wide. He immediately engulfs the three of them and refuses to let go until he kisses each of their foreheads. Matty and Charlie are clearly not having it but Jacob is just laughing happily and hugging his grandfather back. At twelve years old he’s not against PDA like the fourteen year old twins currently are.

Finn waves at his Dad and brother’s as they walk past the car to his dad’s car, then he turns to Jacob who is getting into the passenger seat, “Hi, love. How was school?”

“Hey, Dad,” Jacob smiles at him, turning to put his backpack on the floor in the backseat. He takes a moment to say hello to Lucy then turns back around to face Finn, “School was good. Played footie with Matty, Charlie and some other people at lunch.”

“Look at you hanging out with the older kids,” Finn jokes, making Jacob laugh.

“Sometimes,” Jacob shrugs, “I just hang out with who I like. Age doesn’t really bother me.”

“That’s a good way to look at it. Unless you’re hanging out with eighteen year olds who are giving you alcohol,” Finn says, eyeing Jacob out of the corner of his eye.

“Really?” Jacob snorted, “You realize the most likely person to sneak me a beer would be Rory right?”

Finn throws his head back, cackling loudly. This kid. He was right though, “Yeah so make sure you always sniff anything my brother gives you.”

Jacob laughs then he’s quiet and staring out the window for a few moments prompting Finn to ask if something is wrong.

“No,” Jacob answers, a sad smile on his face, “The sneaking beer comment just made me think of Grandpa Bobby. I really miss him.”

Finn nodded, having to swallow a few times to keep from getting emotional. He missed Grandpa Bobby too. He died two years ago of heart failure at the age of ninety. He lived a good, long life but he was greatly loved by so many and he was missed dearly - especially at Christmas.

Finn reached over to lay a hand on Jacob’s leg comfortingly, “I know, love. I miss him too. We all do. Just remember what your grandpa Niall told us all. Bobby would come back from the dead and kill us all if he saw us not living our lives and having fun. He didn’t want us to be sad over him.”

Jacob smiled, “Yeah. I can picture him giving us a good telling off. He was the best.”

“He was,” Finn agreed, “Do you have much homework tonight? Kara and her husband are coming over for dinner. If you want to hang out with us you should probably get most of it done before dinner I’d say.”

Kara got married two years ago to a really great English guy. Even though she’s obviously moved out and lives with her husband Tommy, she stills works for Ozzy and Finn. She looks after Lucy and helps out with school pick up and drop off if Ozzy and Finn are both busy. She hasn’t had to do much with Ozzy taking time off after his last tour so she’s enjoying traveling with Tommy and making a home for them. Eventually when Ozzy is touring again, she’ll be needed more to help Finn with the kids since he’s also busy with football, but for now she’s enjoying being married and since her and Tommy just got back from a trip, Finn invited them over for dinner.

“I don’t have too much,” Jacob answered, “I’ll do it when we get home. That way I can hang out with Lucy while you make dinner.”

Finn looked over at his son, smiling at the boy, “Thank you, love. You don’t have to do that you know? Once you’re done your homework you can just go be a kid. You don’t have to babysit.”

Jacob shrugged and reached to change the music playing on the Bluetooth, “I know. I want to.”

Finn looks at his son again and smiles. He and Ozzy are two of the luckiest parents in the world.

  
~~~

 

Niall smirked as he watched Matty and Charlie stomp up the stairs when they got home to go do their homework. They hated being grounded but since the age of five they’ve been told about a million times not to play footie inside the house and after a week of rain and going stir crazy they decided to ignore that. Being grounded for a week and having all electronics taken away is a good deal considering one of the things they broke was some weird antique figurine that Harry had paid ten thousand pounds for. Niall always thought it was ugly but he loved Harry so he didn’t care that Harry had it .

Speaking of Harry, Niall headed for the kitchen where he could smell something baking so he knew his husband must be in there. When he walked in he smiled at the sight of Harry mixing something in a large bowl, wiggling his hips to the music while seven year old Ryanne stood next to him, mixing something of her own in a smaller bowl. They were the definition of adorable. Niall’s heart almost couldn’t take it.

“Well,” Niall says, making himself known, “It looks like you two didn’t take long to start baking once school was finished.”

“Hiya, Daddy!” Ryanne looked up from her bowl, smiling wide at him and showing off the gap in her teeth where she lost a tooth the week before.

“Hiya, Princess. How was school?” Niall asked, walking over and kissing her on the nose, savouring the sound of her little giggle.

“Good, Daddy! We did a spelling test. I got every word right,” Ryanne said proudly, the smile on her face infectious.

“Is that so?” Niall said, his eyes wide, “My goodness! Aren’t you smart? Just like your Papa I reckon,” Niall slid in behind Harry and wrapped his arms around him from behind. He kissed the back of Harry’s neck softly, then rested his cheek on his back between his shoulder blades, smiling at Ryanne next to them.

Harry stops mixing his ingredients and rests his hands on Niall’s, squeezing gently, “I’m pretty sure she gets her intelligence from you, Niall. She’s already brilliant at maths. That was never my thing.”

Niall hums and closes his eyes, enjoying his husband’s warmth. Over thirty years together and he still can’t get enough of hugging Harry. He still held him every chance he got and he wouldn’t stop until the day came when he couldn’t do it anymore. “Let’s just say she got the best of both of us.”

Harry chuckled and moved to turn around to face Niall. They kissed softly then Harry said, “Give me twenty minutes for me and RiRi to get our cookies in the oven, then I want to talk to you about something.”

Niall nodded and kissed Harry again, kissed Ryanne on the top of the head, then he decided to get out of the way and go upstairs to make sure the twins were doing their homework. Once he saw they were, he went back downstairs into the living room and pulled out his phone, going through his diary for next week. His eyebrows lifted on surprise when he saw he had a doctor’s appointment next Thursday. A year had passed already. Time flies!

Since his brain surgery, Niall recovered exactly how he was supposed to and has had no problems since. He goes to see Dr. Burgess for a checkup and MRI every year to make sure no tumours are growing again - benign or malignant and apparently it’s time once again for that appointment.

Also next week he had some volunteering and a school field trip with Ryanne’s class and two meetings about label stuff. Yep, label stuff. Niall retired from his job with Chelsea FC but after two years he really wanted something to do while the kids were in school. After much discussing, Harry shyly told Niall he’d love to start his own label and asked if Niall would manage the business side of it so he could manage the talent. Niall’s eyes had gone wide because it was the perfect idea. Something they’d both be good at and the bonus would be they’d get to do it together.

Five years later they were firmly off the ground and quietly making a name for themselves in the music industry. One of their biggest names was a young man Harry found when he finally got to do the x-factor as a judge. Connor was seventeen at the time and got cut in boot camp. Harry agreed with the other judges in the fact that Connor just was t ready yet but he remembered him once the series finished for that year and contacted him in the new year. He saw the massive potential in Connor. He was like a young Ed Sheeran in the fact that he was a brilliant writer and guitar player but his voice needed work. So Harry reached out and set him up with a vocal coach to teach him how to control his voice. They agreed to give it a year. If the improvement was where Harry wanted it to be - they’d sign him.

Needless to say Connor worked his ass off and shocked even Harry. He saw the potential but never dreamed the kid could be this good. They signed him after the year was up and with Harry’s guidance, connections to some of the best songwriter’s, and some great marketing, Connor’s debut album went all the way to number three on the Billboard charts. It was a huge success and Niall and Harry enjoyed every single second of it.

“Hey. Anything interesting?” Harry walked into the room and sat down next to him on the couch, cuddling into his side.

“Just going over my diary for next week. Can you believe it’s been a year since my last MRI? My next appointment is next Thursday!” Niall says, showing Harry his phone.

Harry hums, “I know. It’s on my calendar as well. I’m going with you.”

Niall turns his head just enough to graze his lips over Harry’s temple, “I know, darlin’. What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Oh!” Harry sat up and faced Niall excitedly, “Kate called this morning while you were at the office in your meeting. Middle of the night in New York but she couldn’t wait any longer to call. She wanted both of us but when she found out you were in a meeting and probably had your phone off she just couldn’t wait.”

Niall grinned. That sounded like Kate, “So? What’s she so excited about?”

“Niall,” Harry’s eyes started to tear up even though he was still smiling wide, “Our baby girl was offered an apprenticeship at one of the top fashion houses in Milan this Summer. They had a rep at her show she did at university in the fall. Apparently the rep went to a lot of shows at fashion schools in New York, London, L.A. and Milan and they picked KATE! Niall they picked our baby!!!”

Niall was already lunging at Harry before he finished speaking, knocking him onto his back on the couch. Harry grabbed onto him and the two men held each other on the couch while laughing and crying all at the same time, “Oh my God, H! She did it! She fucking did it! She said she would. Ever since she was fourteen and told us fashion was what she wanted to do and asked us if we’d pay for school. Remember that? She’s been determined ever since, she’s worked her arse off and now she’s done it! Oh God. I’m so fucking proud!”

Harry laughed against Niall’s neck, “Me too! When she told me we both screamed on the phone for twenty minutes. I was jumping around the whole house! Then I started crying which made her cry. God. I miss her so much, Niall, but I’m so proud of her. The latest of our kids to realize their dreams.”

Niall smiled and thought about Rory, Finn, and Nori. Rory obviously had a very successful football career before he retired. After being a stay at home Dad for five years, he accepted the managing position with Arsenal when the current manager had been fired. He turned the team around after they went on a downward spiral and was happy as can be.

Finn had recovered fully from his injury (thank God) and was back with Chelsea, easily being named the best striker in the league three years in a row. He married the love of his life, adopted Jacob, and now they had a beautiful baby girl, Lucy.

Nori had decided to become a Doctor and was nearly finished med school. She spent part of her Summers with Princess Charlotte in Africa, offering medical care to people who couldn’t get it anywhere else and were dying of disease and starvation. The two women had become close friends ever since Nori had joined her in Africa when she was in high school and Nori had ended up being a bridesmaid at Charlotte’s wedding which was televised around the world on the telly. What a day that was!

“Yeah. They’re all doing amazing so far aren’t they? I couldn’t be prouder,” Niall said, a dreamy smile on his face. He was just so fucking happy!

“Only the twins and RiRi left to go out and discover themselves,” Harry said, his expression turning sad.

“No, no, no, there will be no getting sad right now. We still have many years left with Ryanne and at least three with the twins. Besides that we have all our grandchildren. Speaking of which, I saw our little Lucy when I picked Matty and Charlie up from school. Finn was picking up Jacob.”

“Awww. Lucy Goosey? How is that little Angel today?” Harry asks, the smile returning to his face.

“Precious and looking more like Finn everyday,” Niall answered.

“She does doesn’t she? I’m glad they got a surrogate and used Finn this time. It was so cute how Ozzy was adamant about wanting a baby with Finn’s genes. Just like you were about us when we had Nori,”

“Yeah,” Niall grinned, “We ended up with a great mix. Some of our kids have your genes, some have mine, and the twins don’t have our genes at all but fuck if I don’t love them just as fiercely as I do our other kids. We’ve done good, I think. Really good.”

Harry smiled lovingly up at his husband, his fingers reaching up and brushing through the silver that was starting to come in around his temples, “Yeah, baby, we’ve done the best.”

  
~~~

  
Very late on Friday night, Finn lays in bed with his hands clutching the sheets and his head thrown back with his mouth open in a silent scream as Ozzy brings him to his orgasm with his mouth and fingers. He feels relaxed, sated, and so fucking happy as he watches Ozzy climb up on top of him with a smirk on his face and start tugging on his cock to coax his own orgasm. It didn’t take long and he was spilling onto Finn’s chest - the look on his face making Finn bite his lip and want to start another round right away.

“I missed you,” Ozzy whispered, leaning down to kiss Finn long and slow, “So much.”

Finn wraps his arms around Ozzy, not worrying about the sweat and come on their bodies, “I missed you, too. We all did.”

Ozzy groaned and flopped down on the bed, his body half on top of Finn’s, “I’ve been home for so long since the last tour. I forgot what it was like to be away from you and Jacob. A week felt like a year. I refuse to leave anymore in the next few months. I cannot be gone with our baby girl walks or talks for the first time.”

Finn chuckles and cards his fingers through Ozzy’s sweaty hair, “Then you won’t miss anything. You’ll stay here and write for your album, record in studios here in London. Thankfully your label doesn’t have a problem with that.”

“Yeah,” Ozzy sighed, “They’ve been good to me. It’s going to be hard to tell them I’m not signing with them again once this album is finished.”

“Petal. You know you don’t have to do that right? Just because my parents have a label doesn’t mean you have to sign with them. They would never expect you to. You know that,” Finn said softly.

“Oh I know. I’m doing this because it’s what I want. They’re making their label a big success and working with Harry is what I want. He’s been my mentor since the beginning. I trust him one hundred percent and I know he and your Dad treat their artists with the utmost respect. There’s a buzz around them in the industry ya know? I’ve heard from a couple of big name artists who hate their labels. They want their managers to reach out to Harry and Niall as soon as they can break free from their current labels. Wouldn’t surprise me if they were ruling the industry in a few years,” Ozzy said, excitement evident in his voice, “I want to be a part of that.”

Finn grinned at his husband, adoring the excitement on his face and in his voice, “Well you already know they’ll be happy to have you. I know my Pop is dying to get you on a duet with Connor. I’d like to hear that myself actually.”

“Someday, someday,” Ozzy laughed, “How about a shower before bed?”

“Mhm,” Finn agreed, “Help me up. Think you turned my legs to jelly!”

Ozzy cackled and got up off the bed, dragging Finn up with him. They showered quickly then pulled on some boxer shorts before getting into bed, “Hey.” Ozzy whispered when they turned out the lights, “I was thinking about something on the plane home.”

“Oh yeah? What was it?” Finn asked, snuggling in close to his husband.

“About our anniversary in July. Five years married. You won’t have football until August. I want to go somewhere. Just me and you. Maybe Rory and Anna or your parents can take the kids. What do you think?” Ozzy asked.

Finn snorted, “Forget Rory and Anna. My parents will want Jacob and Lucy and will probably fight anyone for them.”

“That’s true,” Ozzy laughed, “So we can leave them with your parents for two weeks and go somewhere. Anywhere. As long as we’re together.”

Finn hums and thinks about it for a minute, “Do we want to just hang out at the beach all day and have sex all night? Or do we want to do touristy stuff as well?”

Ozzy shrugged, “I don’t care as long as we’re together. It would be kind of nice to do some sightseeing though. What about Australia and New Zealand? I’ve been there on tour but didn’t get to do anything.”

“I’d love to go there,” Finn answered, “We’ve got some time to think about it and I’ll be happy just being with you.”

“Okay. Let’s talk about it more later. We should get some sleep. Lucy will wake up early no doubt,” Ozzy says, yawning.

“Of course she will,” Finn chuckled. He tilted his head up and kissed Ozzy softly, whispering, “I love you, Petal. Welcome home.”

Ozzy smiled into the kiss and whispered back, “Two of my favourite words to hear. I love you, too, baby. I’m happy to be home.”

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think my fellow Narry lovers? Comment or leave kudos. I appreciate them both :)


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